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View all search resultsPKB marks anniversary amid decline in influence of Islamic political parties
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A runner clad in a costume gestures during the 5K Run Fest July 20 in Jakarta. The event was organized by the National Awakening Party (PKB) to commemorate its anniversary. (Antara/Sulthony Hasanuddin)
A
s many Islamic-based political parties struggle with declining influence, the National Awakening Party (PKB) enters its 27th year with renewed focus on positioning itself as a solution to the nation’s pressing problems amid global economic uncertainty.
The celebration, which adopted the theme “Patriotic Indonesia, Productive Indonesia”, kicked off with a series of events throughout July that culminated in the main event on Wednesday evening at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), with the attendance of President Prabowo Subianto and other party leaders.
In his opening remark, PKB chair Muhaimin Iskandar reaffirmed the party’s commitment to tackling the country's most pressing challenges amid mounting political and economic uncertainty.
“As a political party born out of the reform movement, PKB has always been an integral part of the nation-building effort,” he said. “We will continue that struggle under one clear tagline: ‘PKB, the nation’s solution’.”
PKB’s electoral growth
PKB, founded in 1998 in the wake of the Reform movement that ended the authoritarian rule of former president Soeharto, was established to represent the voices of nahdliyin, the grassroots followers of the country’s largest Muslim organization, the moderate Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
It made a strong debut in the 1999 election, winning 12.62 percent of votes and securing 51 seats in the House of Representatives, and saw its cofounder Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, also the then-NU chairman, elected president by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). While his presidency was short-lived, ending in 2001, the party has remained an active political force on the national stage ever since.
