'Young' PBR steps up on platform of inclusiveness

Rais Hidayat, Research and Development Unit, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The leader of the Reform Star Party (PBR) has just turned 50, and so its followers say their party is oriented to the young. Well other party leaders are much younger -- but of course they were referring to United Development Party (PPP), the long- established party with legislators "who were in the House when we were still in diapers," says one executive.

PBR, set up on April 8, 2003, is a new party with many activists coming from PPP aside from other parties. Their asset is mainly their leader, popular cleric Zainuddin M.Z. who was known as the "cleric of a million followers," at least until younger, more popular preachers emerged. No less important is their activists' political experience mainly gained from PPP.

When they were fed up with what they describe as old ways, they had set up the United Development Party of Reform (PPP Reformasi) prior to PBR with Zainuddin, who was becoming a rival of the old politicians, namely PPP leader and Vice President Hamzah Haz.

Internal conflicts led to the set up of the PBR.

Now PBR champions all that PPP is not -- the orientation to the young includes striving for democracy within the party. Affairs of the regional chapters are no longer ruled from the center, its leaders say. If PBR members manage to get into government, they will have to let go of their position in the party. And if they get their way, they would rule that legislators only have two terms at the most.

In a recent visit to The Jakarta Post the party leaders, unlike some other Muslim-oriented parties, also displayed disinterest in reviving the Jakarta Charter. This was the original draft of the preamble to the 1945 Constitution which referred to Islamic law, and this reference was deleted in the resulting document.

The reference suggests a state religion and the deletion of the Jakarta Charter is taken to mean an acceptance of the separation of state and religion, though not in so many words.

While PBR activists maintain the classic line that the change of the draft was "a sacrifice" on the part of Muslims for the Indonesian state, the PBR ideals nevertheless state that religion and state should not be separated.

Politics is part of practicing Islam, its executives say, explaining their platform that speaks of "eradicating communism, atheism and secularism".

Proof of their acceptance among Muslims is, they say, their many Muslims members in Southeast Maluku. This pluralist outlook, however, is yet to be reflected at the national level.

So much for their selling points. Behind their campaign, the PBR still relies on the networks of its former PPP activists to gain support. Secretary General Djafar Badjeber, for one, earlier led PPP's Jakarta chapter. the provincial executive body of PPP in Jakarta.

Yet blending a "reformist" platform and the old PPP network is not, so far, marketable. PBR seems to be trying to be something in between the secular parties and the Muslim-based parties.

Hence Zainuddin remains the most significant asset. His sermons are heard day and night. He appears on his own television show and travels across the country with celebrities.

In the 1977 and 1982 elections he campaigned for the PPP together with his Rhoma Irama, the "king of dangdut" (a local genre of Indian-Arab music).

Zainuddin, like other popular preachers who are either recruited or fall into disfavor with the leaders, then quit politics in 1983. He said he was now "nowhere but everywhere," until he accepted Hamzah Haz' offer to join PPP.

Now PBR targets 3 percent of votes, the minimum amount of votes required to allow its leader join the presidential race. It is optimistic of gaining strong support from several provinces in Sumatra and Java namely West Java, Jakarta and Banten. For Jakarta, Zainuddin and Djafar, who are nominated as legislative candidates will pose a threat to PPP and other Islamic parties.

Zainuddin was a former student of an Islamic Boarding School in Jakarta led by Idham Chalid, once the chairman of the largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Zainuddin has a close relationship with Idham.

This will contribute to this party's support here -- at least among older people who remember all that.

And the PBR promises, most importantly, nonviolence during the campaigns despite the masses that gather to hear its famous leader, and also those of its popular executive, the lawyer Mahendratta. The lawyer of the cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir who was charged with involvement in terrorist acts said that the crowd dispersed peacefully every time the party held internal gatherings involving Zainuddin or himself. For that alone we would be thankful.

Outline of PBR's platform:

- PBR's function is to provide a platform to:

o Instill Indonesian society with Islamic values;

o Speed up moves toward democratization, sovereignty and clean government;

o Speed up the development of a competitive society;

o Absorb public aspirations in formal political institutions, government and through civilian institutions.

- PBR aims for a civil society that is prosperous materially and spiritually, independent and democratic, and blessed by Allah in a unitary republic based on Pancasila.

- For these purposes PBR will:

o defend and develop the unitary republic;

o build cooperation with other political forces and all groups;

o eradicate communism, atheism and secularism;

o uphold and defend human rights;

o improve human resources;

o build up self-reliance and competitiveness;

o create a corruption-free country;

o create an egalitarian, democratic system;

o create an economic system that sides with the people.