PBB carries on the Masyumi torch

The Crescent Star Party (PBB) is one of several political parties campaigning on an Islamic platform. The party's leaders talked to The Jakarta Post recently about their vision, political and economic concepts, and their preparations for the June 7 general election.

JAKARTA (JP): Going by its platform alone, people would be forgiven to think that PBB is anything but an Islamic party. Little in its platform suggests that it is a religious party in the conventional sense of the word.

PBB focuses on constitutional amendments, not to turn Indonesia into an Islamic state but to make the system democratic. PBB endorses market economy and rejects government price intervention. And PBB wants to see Indonesia open up even more to foreign investors.

Yet, PBB claims to be the legitimate heir to Masyumi, the fundamentalist Muslim party which spooked both Sukarno and Soeharto so much that they simply outlawed it.

Now PBB is counting on former Masyumi members and sympathizers, and their children and grandchildren.

"We're continuing the grand idea of Masyumi," Deputy Chairman Farid Prawiranegara said of the party founded as a coalition of many Muslim parties in the 1950s and which was one of the major parties to emerge after the 1955 election, Indonesia's first and only democratic election to date.

"The Masyumi spirit has lived on," Farid said, underscoring the public response the party has enjoyed since it was founded in July.

PBB does not have exclusive claims to Masyumi constituents. The National Mandate Party of Amien Rais, while not professing to be a Muslim party, has drawn huge support from Muhammadiyah, one of the large groups that formed Masyumi.

The presence of figures considered as "militants" on the PBB board -- such as Ahmad Sumargono of the Indonesian Committee for World Muslims Solidarity and Muslim cleric Abdul Qadir Jailani -- has raised suspicions about PBB's future plans.

Farid said Ahmad and Jailani share the party's vision and platform and are not as militant as people fear.

"Yes, many people indeed are concerned that we plan to establish an Islamic state and introduce the Shariah (Islamic Law). This is not true," said Farid, whose father, Syafruddin Prawiranegara, was one of the prominent leaders during Masyumi's heyday in the 1950s.

"But as good Muslims, we want to see that political decisions in this country are based on Islamic values," said Farid, who founded the party with chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra in July.

Islam is stated as the party's guiding ideology and principle.

"Islam is the party's platform, and it is the source of values and inspiration in building this nation," said M.S. Ka'ban, another deputy on the PBB board.

Fadli Zon, a young activist who is also a deputy, said the focus on strengthening democracy is consistent with Islam.

"For Muslims, democracy is not simply a tool to achieve something. It's something that we have to live by," Fadli said.

He envisioned a political climate similar to the 1950s, when Masyumi forged alliances with Catholic and Protestant parties, or their leaders maintained cordial terms with their adversaries.

"Natsir could have a tough debate with Aidit, but afterwards, they would drink coffee together," he said. Mohammad Natsir was the legendary Masyumi leader, while Aidit was chairman of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

"Today, such cordial dialog among political leaders is still lacking in this country," he said.

Farid stressed the need for moral principles in guiding the nation. "When we formed PBB, me and Yusril dreamed of forming an alliance with people from other faiths. This, I think, would guarantee a political system that is honest and fair."

Going by its platform, PBB will come across more as a reformist force seeking to redress the shortcomings of the political system, rather than a party trying to impose Islamic laws on the country.

Fadli said PBB's objective is to amend the 1945 Constitution to prevent Indonesia from plunging back into another authoritarian rule.

It proposes two amendments: making the People's Consultative Assembly truly the highest state organ and allowing people to directly elect their president.

"Our vision stresses on improving the system, and some of our proposals are even detrimental to the party," Fadli said.

The party is also seeking to end the military's legislature seats because this arrangement goes against democracy.

PBB leaders are reluctant to push its economic platform, saying the issue was almost irrelevant at this point.

"We have to see what political structure emerges after the election. We're not under any illusion that we will clinch the majority," Farid said.

PBB is proposing far-reaching autonomy for the regions. "We should be talking about regional contribution to the central government budget, and not the other way round, as at present."

More regional autonomy would lead to more balanced development in the regions and the emergence of new industrial and growth centers. "Given its infrastructure network, I believe Java can stand by itself," Farid said.

PBB opposes government intervention in the markets, wants to see the abolition of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), and the elimination of a general subsidy on food and fuel.

"We should give the subsidy only to people who need it," Fadli said, adding that he would like to see the establishment of a social welfare system to ensure that the poor are protected and cared for by the state, as mandated by the constitution.

PBB would dispense with the requirement for foreign investors to form joint ventures with local companies. Foreign investment companies, however, must give workers, as one of the stakeholders of the company, more say in running the company.

On ethnic Chinese, Fadli said the Soeharto regime used them as its cash cow but did not give them political responsibility.

In the future, there should be the possibility of a Chinese becoming a mayor or even a governor in areas where the Chinese are heavily represented, such as in West Kalimantan, he said. "This is what taking political responsibility means." (emb)