PKS here and now
Less than two elections ago they were considered a party of the future. No longer. The future is now. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) is a party of today.
From humble beginnings as the Justice Party in 1999, they are an example of the "art of the possible" in politics without resorting to traditional hegemonic political ties.
Despite having to change its name due to a technical requirement to compete in the 2004 election, PKS has become stronger and stronger.
They are no longer a minor fringe party, as evidenced by their poll returns from 1.4 million votes in 1999 to 8.3 million in the 2004 legislative election.
Already they are projecting themselves to be as big as the Golkar Party with a target of attaining more than 20 percent of the overall vote in the 2009 general election -- around 2.5 times more than what they achieved in 2004.
These are ambitious goals, but not improbable.
One would not bet on PKS achieving these aggressive electoral targets, but you would certainly not bet against them!
The rise of this party is, perhaps, the best example of what can be accomplished in the kind of open democratic system this nation is striving for. It represents an end to the elitist monopoly by making the process more proletarian.
PKS achieved this by recognizing, identifying and engaging voters on issues, which were truly near and dear to them. They spoke openly about issues like corruption and good governance, all with graceful conduct and full of decorum.
"Clean and polite" was the most consistent impression the general public had of PKS.
No wonder, in a world of politics marked by deceit and scandals, they looked so attractive.
There is a little something that everyone can learn from PKS -- whether it be the established political hack or the newbie.
The ability of PKS to attract Indonesian voters, whose loyalties may no longer be aligned with the old symbols of yesteryear, was the party's recruitment process, which did not solely depend on status quo endorsements or bribery, along with their ability to put forth new leaders that were not offsprings of the old elite.
Their continued growth has only been reaffirmed further by a string of successes during the ongoing regional elections throughout the country.
But the greatest test of PKS is not past them, but just ahead.
It can be argued that PKS has been able to remain idealistic simply because it could afford to be. Because of its relative size over the past six years, the party has acted more like an NGO: high on platitudes and good at giving voice to causes that simply do not seem to have any connection to them.
They have had the luxury of being far enough from the centers of power to stand, like the proverbial preacher, on a pedestal spouting virtue.
It is true that PKS progressed as a party with a reputation of being "clean", but that reputation is mainly due to the fact that it has never had the chance to taint itself.
The pitfalls are awaiting as the party emerges and get closer to the levers of power. Can national and local PKS legislators carry out their promises of being clean?
The temptations of power and wealth have so far proved unprejudiced. Whether PKS members can withstand such temptation is a test they are now going through.
One tripwire, which may have already diluted the party's reputation, was yesterday's decision by a court to annul former PKS president Nur Mahmudi Ismail's victory as Depok Mayor. The court found enough evidence to decide that electoral fraud had occurred, thus resulting in his victory.
Nur Mahmudi's reputation is also clouded by continued suspicions over a markup scandal while serving as minister of forestry in Abdurrahman Wahid's Cabinet.
Perhaps PKS's greatest challenge in the coming years will be to convince the majority of Indonesia's mainstream voters of the tolerance of its ideological ambitions.
Despite declaring itself an "open" party to all faiths, there is a widely held perception that given the opportunity, PKS will advocate highly conservative Islamist policies. The party has never been able to shake off the wariness that its leaders harbor a strong disposition toward Islamist conservatism which, if carried through to legislation and policies, could be harmful to the pluralistic nature of this nation.
The scandal involving Nur Mahmudi may not immediately impede the growth of the party, but PKS will at some point have to make its political ambitions more transparent.
That ultimately will spell the downfall, or enlargement, of PKS.