PBB carries on the Masyumi torch
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)