Prosperous Justice Party
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The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS; Indonesian: Partai Keadilan Sejahtera; also Justice and Prosperity Party) is a political party in Indonesia. The party calls for a greater role for Islam in public life. PKS is currently led by Tifatul Sembiring.
The party was established as the Justice Party on July 20, 1998, with Nurmahmudi Ismail as its first president. The Justice Party was reconstituted as the Prosperous Justice Party in April 2003 after the Justice Party failed to meet the required two percent of votes in the 1999 election that it needed to contest the 2004 election.[1] During the 2004 legislative elections, the PKS won 7.3% of the popular vote and 45 out of 550 seats, making it the seventh-largest party in parliament. This was a gain from the 1.4% received in 1999. During the 2004 elections Hidayat Nur Wahid was the party leader; he stepped down after being elected head of the People's Consultative Assembly. The PKS endorsed Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the 2004 Presidential elections. PKS's strongest support is in major urban centers, particularly Jakarta, where it the largest share of seats in 2004.
The PKS is known for its public opposition to political corruption; this stance was widely reported as a major factor in the party's increased success in 2004.[2] The party is closely associated with Islamic teachings, but according to its leadership does not promote the mandatory implementation of sharia, requiring Indonesia's Muslims to follow Islamic law.[3] Many of its campaigns are based on conservative religious teachings, such as opposition to the selling of pornography,[4] and for strict punishments for violations of narcotics laws.[5]
The party has been associated with the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood; several of its founders attended Brotherhood-related schools.[6] The PKS is a prominent supporter of Abu Bakar Bashir, the Muslim cleric who was convicted of conspiracy for his role in the 2002 Bali bombing, arguing that was not involved in the bombing, and that he deserved release due to his poor health.[7]
The organization stages rallies supporting the inhabitants of Palestine in their conflict with Israel, and against the influence of the United States both in the Middle East and in Indonesia.[8]
After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, PKS sent volunteer relief workers to Aceh,[9] and has been involved in several other relief and reconstruction projects.
[edit] References
- ^ Justice Party to merge with Prosperous Justice Party. Antara, April 16, 2003.
- ^ General contenders, Business Asia, May 3, 2004.
- ^ Indonesia: Islamic party not to implement Shari'ah "strictly" if elected. BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific, May 3, 2006.
- ^ Alliance failes to coax PKS on porn bill. The Jakarta Post, July 8, 2006
- ^ Gov't urged to execute convicted drug traffickers on death row soon. Antara March 22, 2005
- ^ Sadanand Dhume, Indonesian democracy’s enemy within, YaleGlobal.
- ^ PKS supports gov'ts plan to grant remission to Abubakar Ba'aysir. Antara October 9, 2005.
- ^ Parties protest Israeli attack, The Jakarta Post, July 17, 2006.
- ^ Ellen Nakashima, Indonesian Islamic party reaps rewards of goodwill. The Washington Post January 14, 2005.
