Seminar Series: Abstract

PKS, Islamic Ideology and Electoral Appeal in Indonesia: Testing Islamism Typologies
Dr Greg Fealy

The Prosperous and Justice Party (PKS) is the most interesting of Indonesia’s major Islamic parties. Drawing much of it ideology from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, it is the only electoral contestant linked to a transnational Islamist movement. It is also cleaner, more disciplined, better educated and more intellectually engaged than any other Islamic party. PKS is also the only Islamic party to have increased its vote in the three post-Soeharto elections, gaining 1.4% in 1999, 7.3% in 2004 and 7.8% in this year’s legislative elections.
During the past three years, PKS has made a concerted attempt to remake its image from that of a somewhat puritanical Islamist party to that of an open, pluralistic mainstream party. The party has, at least formally, eschewed much of its pro-sharia agenda and cast itself as representing all Indonesians, regardless of faith. This pragmatic shift has caused tensions within the party and heated debate over future directions and the limits of political compromise.
In this seminar I will examine PKS’s recent political behaviour and electoral fortunes, and discuss this in the context of the literature on Islamism, particularly notions of ‘post-Islamism’ and ‘Muslim democracy’.