Jakarta, <strong><em>NU Online</em></strong><br /> General chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul ULama (PBNU) KH Hasyim MUzadi said that the General Elections Commission (KPU) and other related parties should introspect on the tendency of many not using their voting right (<em>golput</em>).&nbsp; <br /> <br /> "If the <em>golput</em> is due to the laziness of people, there should be such self-introspection especially for the organizer of elections, namely the General Elections&nbsp; Commission (KPU) or other related parties,&q<>uot; Hasyim told reporters here on Monday.<br /> <br /> In the meantime Hasyim reiterated that NU had institutionally disagreed with the <em>golput</em>. He said if the <em>golput</em> was intended to negate elections, it would of course be opposed to the importance of the elections in nature.<br /> <br /> In its congress in NTB, NU was of view that participating in elections was a must and obliged for all people because the elections could be used as a means of enforcing national power. <br /> <br /> Hasyim also said that during the nearly ten years of reform, there had been no the balance of democracy, effectivity and productivity.<br /> <br /> He then called on the government to improve its format of reform. At present, Hasyim said, the element of democracy had played more roles if compared to the other two elements. <br /> <br /> The leader of the Malang's Al HIkam Islamic boarding school (<em>pesantren</em>), again and again, called on <em>Nahdliyin</em> (NU followers) not to join the `<em>Golput</em>` group because exercising a voting right is an obligatory process.<br /> <br /> "Casting votes in general elections is a process of upholding the power of the state. In this context, it`s obligatory for NU followers to involve themselves in it," he said.<br /> <br /> Last month, chairman of the Legal Council of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Abdurrahman Wahid, who is also former president, called on PKB regional branches to boycott the elections next year.<br /> <br /> The reason for the boycott, he said, was that the General Elections Committee (KPU) only recognized the PKB executive board under Muhaimin Iskandar while the one under his leadership was not registered as the legitimate PKB that had the right to nominate would-be candidates. (nam) <br />

---