Prosperous Justice Party
Encyclopedia
The Prosperous Justice Party , sometimes called the Justice and Prosperity Party, is a political party
in Indonesia
. The party is Islamist in the sense that it calls for a central role for Islam in public life. PKS is currently led by Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, who hitherto his incumbent office has been criticized justly as bearing radical agendas.
, 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. In addition, its leader Hidayat Nur Wahid
was elected speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly
. PKS's strongest support is in major urban centers, particularly Jakarta
, where it won the largest share of seats in 2004. In the 2009 elections, the party's came fourth, its share of the vote rose to 7.88% and it gained 12 extra legislative seats. It now have 57 seats in the People's Representative Council
.
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. However, this image has been under attack in recent times, as several alleged cases of grafts are suspected to be connected to several prominent party politicians. 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. Many of its campaigns are based on conservative religious teachings, such as opposition to the selling of pornography
, and for strict punishments for violations of narcotics laws.
The party has been associated with the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood
; several of its founders attended Brotherhood-related schools.
The organization stages rallies supporting the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel
, and against the influence of the United States
both in the Middle East and in Indonesia.
After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, PKS sent volunteer relief workers to Aceh
, and has been involved in several other relief and reconstruction projects.
The October 5 2011 edition of Indonesian TV news program "Liputan 6 Petang" reported PKS Deputy Secretary-General and member of Indonesia's House of Representatives Fahri Hamzah had recently floated the idea of disbanding Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi or KPK). According to Kompas daily, Deputy Chairman of House of Representatives Commission III responsible for legal affairs, human rights and security Fahri Hamzah first made the suggestion to disband the Corruption Eradication Commission in a consultation meeting at the House on Monday October 3 2011.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The party is Islamist in the sense that it calls for a central role for Islam in public life. PKS is currently led by Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, who hitherto his incumbent office has been criticized justly as bearing radical agendas.
History
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 2002 after the Justice Party failed to meet the required two percent of electoral threshold in the 1999 election that it needed to contest the 2004 election. During the 2004 legislative electionsIndonesian legislative election, 2004
Indonesia held legislative elections on 5 April 2004 for both houses of the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's national legislature...
, 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. In addition, its leader Hidayat Nur Wahid
Hidayat Nur Wahid
Hidayat Nur Wahid was the Speaker of Indonesia People's Consultative Assembly for the 2004–2009 period. He resigned as the leader of Prosperous Justice Party on 11 October 2004...
was elected speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly
People's Consultative Assembly
The People's Consultative Assembly is the legislative branch in Indonesia's political system. It is composed of the members of the People's Representative Council and the Regional Representative Council. Before 2004, and the amendments to the 1945 Constitution, the MPR was the highest governing...
. PKS's strongest support is in major urban centers, particularly Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, where it won the largest share of seats in 2004. In the 2009 elections, the party's came fourth, its share of the vote rose to 7.88% and it gained 12 extra legislative seats. It now have 57 seats in the People's Representative Council
People's Representative Council
The People's Representative Council , sometimes referred to as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected national legislative assemblies in Indonesia....
.
The PKS is known for its public opposition to political corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
; this stance was widely reported as a major factor in the party's increased success in 2004. However, this image has been under attack in recent times, as several alleged cases of grafts are suspected to be connected to several prominent party politicians. The party is closely associated with Islamic teachings, but according to its leadership does not promote the mandatory implementation of sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
, requiring Indonesia's Muslims to follow Islamic law. Many of its campaigns are based on conservative religious teachings, such as opposition to the selling of pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, and for strict punishments for violations of narcotics laws.
The party has been associated with the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
; several of its founders attended Brotherhood-related schools.
The organization stages rallies supporting the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and against the influence of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
both in the Middle East and in Indonesia.
After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, PKS sent volunteer relief workers to Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
, and has been involved in several other relief and reconstruction projects.
The October 5 2011 edition of Indonesian TV news program "Liputan 6 Petang" reported PKS Deputy Secretary-General and member of Indonesia's House of Representatives Fahri Hamzah had recently floated the idea of disbanding Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi or KPK). According to Kompas daily, Deputy Chairman of House of Representatives Commission III responsible for legal affairs, human rights and security Fahri Hamzah first made the suggestion to disband the Corruption Eradication Commission in a consultation meeting at the House on Monday October 3 2011.
Regional strength
In the legislative election held on 9 April 2009, support for the PKS was higher than the party's national average in the following provinces:- North SumatraNorth SumatraNorth Sumatra is a province of Indonesia on the Sumatra island. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java. It is slightly larger than Sri Lanka in area.- Geography and population :...
8.9%
- West SumatraWest SumatraWest Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
8.9%
- BengkuluBengkuluBengkulu is a province of Indonesia. It is on the southwest coast of the island of Sumatra, and borders the provinces of West Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra and Lampung. The capital and largest city is Bengkulu city. It was formerly the site of a British garrison, which they called Bencoolen...
8.6%
- Riau Islands 11.8%
- LampungLampungLampung is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra and borders the provinces of Bengkulu and South Sumatra. Lampung is the original home of the Lampung people, who speak a distinct language from other people in Sumatra and have their own alphabet. Its...
8.7%
- JakartaJakartaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
17.8%
- West JavaWest JavaWest Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
10.9%
- BantenBantenBanten is a province of Indonesia in Java. Formerly part of the Province of West Java, it was made a separate province in 2000.The administrative center is Serang. Preliminary results from the 2010 census counted some 10.6 million people.-Geography:...
11.1%
- Yogyakarta 9.1%
- South KalimantanSouth KalimantanSouth Kalimantan/South Borneo is one of the thirty-three Provinces of Indonesia and one of four Indonesian provinces in the Indonesian part of Borneo. The provincial capital is Banjarmasin...
10.7%
- East KalimantanEast KalimantanEast Kalimantan is the second largest Indonesian province, located on the Kalimantan region on the east of Borneo island. The resource-rich province has two major cities, Samarinda and Balikpapan...
9.3%
- West Nusa TenggaraWest Nusa TenggaraWest Nusa Tenggara is a province in south-central Indonesia. The province encompasses the western portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, except for Bali as the Wallace line running the length of the Lombok Strait forms the western boundary of the province....
8.0%
- Central SulawesiCentral SulawesiCentral Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia located in the centre of Sulawesi. It was established on 13 April 1964....
9.5%
- South SulawesiSouth SulawesiSouth Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia, located on the western southern peninsula of Sulawesi Island. The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi province to the north, South East Sulawesi province to the east and West Sulawesi province to the west...
8.0%