T

he United Development Party (PPP), the nation’s oldest Islamist party, is moving further to the right in its attempt to appeal to increasingly conservative voters ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The party, which only garnered 6.5 percent of the popular vote in the 2014 legislative election, has been pushing a conservative agenda, from the passing of an anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) bill to the implementation of an Islamic criminal justice system, also known as jinayat.

Riding on the rising sentiment against the nation’s LGBT community in recent years, the party has taken the initiative to submit a draft anti-LGBT bill to the House of Representatives and targeted to have it deliberated by next year.

The bill would stipulate the definition of LGBT and impose sanctions on those who spread LGBT propaganda, PPP lawmaker Reni Marlinawati The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Religious figures within the party have backed the bill, saying that homosexuality contradicts the principles of Pancasila and that homosexuals should be punished.

During a party leadership meeting in Jakarta on Monday, the party proposed that LGBT people be “cured” of their sexual orientations in a program covered by the Social Security Management Agency (BPJS).

In the same meeting, chairman Muhammad Romahurmuziy even suggested that the country adopt the Qanun Jinayat (Islamic Criminal Code Bylaw) as part of the nation’s criminal justice system.

The Qanun Jinayat has been fully implemented in Aceh, to the chagrin of human rights activists who consider the legislation as inimical to human rights principles. The qanun criminalizes practices not considered as crimes in the Criminal Code, such as drinking liquor, dating in public places and homosexuality.

The party, which has never proposed the implementation of sharia before, also said that due to its implementation of caning and not imprisonment, the Islamic law was the solution to many social problems.

“It can help the government overcome the overcrowding of prisons. We can have alternative ways to punish them instead of putting them in jail,” Romahurmuziy said.

The party is currently pushing for the passing of the controversial alcohol bill, which would largely ban alcoholic beverages, at the House. The bill has sparked heated debates among lawmakers and businesses.

Although they seem far-fetched, some of the PPP’s policy proposals are part of its strategy to gain support from conservative voters, political observer Rachmat Bagja from Al-Azhar University said.

The party wanted to regain a stronger Islamic support base to boost its performance in the next legislative election, he added.

PPP was a big Islamic party during Soeharto’s new order regime, and one of the oldest parties in the country. It is now the second smallest party at the House after the Hanura Party.

Its clout as the party of Muslims diminished following the establishment of more nationalistic Muslim-based parties such as the National Awakening Party (PKB), National Mandate Party (PAN) and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

“PPP is intelligently reading the situation. And it can help them gain support and sympathy from the public, particularly Muslims. If PKB, PAN and PKS can’t accurately read the situation, PPP could beat them in the next legislative election,” Rachmat said.

Rights group Setara Institute director Hendardi said that such moves reflected the rise of identity politics in Indonesia. “LGBT issues should not be approached from a legal perspective. And implementing sharia would be a setback for the country’s plurality,” Hendardi said. “The proposals made [by the PPP] are clearly aimed at reaching certain political goals.”