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After shake up, PKS old guard unlikely to call it a day
The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) may be heavily bruised in recent elections but not beaten, as the party, which has Islamic leanings and is vying to emulate the triumph of Turkeyâs ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), had a leadership facelift to keep it afloat
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The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) may be heavily bruised in recent elections but not beaten, as the party, which has Islamic leanings and is vying to emulate the triumph of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), had a leadership facelift to keep it afloat.
As a party whose movement was initially inspired by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the PKS has a new roster of politicians with integrity and modesty in its front row while a more influential breed of members have decided to stay away from the limelight, but may still be the ones pulling the strings.
Japan-educated Muhammad Sohibul Iman was appointed late on Monday as the party's chairman, replacing Anis Matta, while former social affairs minister Salim Segaf Al-jufri was chosen as the party's chief patron, replacing Hilmi Aminuddin ' dubbed widely by political observers as the party's 'godfather'.
In the leadership shake up that did not involve any voting, the party appointed Suharna as chief of the consultative board and Surahman Hidayat as chief of the party's sharia council ' a kind of disciplinary tribunal. The party, however, maintained Taufik Ridho as secretary-general and Mahfudz Abdurrahman as chief treasurer.
'The transition in leadership came smoothly, festooned with tears and takbir [praises to God],' Mahfudz told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
'There was no voting. No chair throwing like in other parties. We're proud that the new leaders were appointed based on a consensus,' said Mahfudz, who attended the closed meeting held in Bandung, West Java.
According Mahfudz, 67 members of the party's board of patrons selected Hilmi, Salim and Hidayat Nur Wahid, the party's former chairman and co-founder, as permanent members of the board with the highest authority to select the new leadership.
'The three then agreed to appoint Ustadz [religious teacher] Salim, Ustadz Sohibul and others to be a part of PKS' new leadership,' said Mahfudz.
The PKS is an epitome of an idealist Islamic party turned sour after many of its top brass displayed sumptuous ways of living, straying from the values taught by the Prophet Muhammad.
Many of its top officials, who mostly took shelter in the mosque during their times of economic hardship when establishing the party after the reform movement of 1998, have lavished themselves in luxury, accompanied by many wives, during the party's heyday between 2009 and 2014 when it controlled 10 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives.
It was not until the arrest of the party's then chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for receiving bribes in early 2013 that many idealist members, who had been long sidelined, called for a greater role in the party.
But despite the calls, the party's patron Hilmi insisted on keeping his boys in leadership and appointing Anis to replace Lutfhi, but with bitter consequences as the party's votes in the 2014 election plunged to 6.7 percent.
Hilmi, Anis, Aboe Bakar Al-Habsyi and firebrand politician Fahri Hamzah, to name a few, are known as the party's poster boys of luxurious living.
Aware of the liabilities, the PKS seems to have been able to keep such members away in the new leadership and paved the way for modest and uncontroversial figures to run the party.
As the new face of the PKS, chairman Sohibul, with his modesty and intellect, has all the elements needed to lure back idealist Muslim supporters to PKS.
While the new faces will indeed help improve the party's tarnished image, political observers have cast doubt on whether they can limit the influence of the party's old guards, particularly those of Hilmi.
From his tranquil villa in the outskirts of Bandung, Hilmi has been steering the course of one of the country's largest Islamic parties, and probably the world's largest when it comes to the size of its supporters.
Hilmi is the most powerful official with the highest authority in the party and has played a vital role in designing the PKS' political course, including selecting candidates for legislators, councilors, local administration leaders and even providing support for the President.
'The new leadership cannot be viewed as Hilmi's diminishing influence in the party,' said political observer Burhanuddin Muhtadi, who has written several insights on PKS.
'Sohibul has close relations with Hilmi and Anis, as evidenced by his appointment as the House deputy speaker replacing Anis,' said Burhanuddin.
Sohibul, according to Burhanuddin, is a figure who can be accepted by many competing factions in the party because of his intellect, modesty and uncontroversial image.
'His appointment is a form of compromise in the PKS and an effort to improve its image after being battered by a string of graft cases. It will also bring the confidence of many idealists, who were alienated by Anis during his leadership, back into the party,' he said.
But when it comes to financial factors in greasing the party's machine, Sohibul and Salim may have to rely more on Hilmi and his boys because most of the idealist members have no financial resources.
'Hilmi is irreplaceable because of history and finance. Historically, the tarbiyah (nurturing generation) movement that gave the birth to the PKS cannot be successful without his role. He is the grand murabbi (mentor), an ideal that is lacking in Salim,' said Burhanuddin.
According to Mahfudz, Hilmi will be one of three permanent members on the board of patrons and will still play an active role in setting the party's course.
'There is no such thing as the end of Ustadz Hilmi's role and the rule of an entirely new face of leadership. Taufik Ridho and I still have the trust to remain in our posts,' said Mahfudz.
University of Indonesia's Islamic politics and movements expert Yon Machmudi believed that while the influence of Hilmi remained, it would not last for long. He said that the transition to the new leadership went smoothly, avoiding boat-rocking that might entirely diminish Hilmi's role overnight.
'An important figure always has a strong influence in a party rooted in an Islamic movement. However, the patron will gradually lose his influence,' he said. 'Unlike Anis and Hilmi, who are not shy of displaying lavish lifestyles, the new leaders will make the party stronger internally and at the same time create a positive image for the public.'
While praising Hilmi's long-standing contributions to the progress of the PKS in its function as a dakwah (Islamic propagation) party, Sohibul said that his mentor's failure to extend his term was due to the democratic process that had provided room for the change of guard.
'There's democracy in PKS. Doctor Salim has received the consensus to replace Ustadz Hilmi. That in itself has already made a difference,' said Sohibul, who earned his PhD in engineering from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST).
' Margareth S. Aritonang also contributed to the story
