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PAN to be 'Muslim-govt bridge’ as part of ruling coalition
The PAN chairman has said that the latest party to join the ruling coalition aims to bring the government and the country’s Muslim community closer together, while underlining that the party is based on Pancasila and dissing observations that the administration was deliberately distancing itself from Islam.
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National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Zulkifli Hasan speaks at an open-air political campaign on March 28, 2019 in Depok, West Java. PAN, which opposed President Joko Widodo's reelection bid in 2019, was welcomed into the governing coalition last week. (Antara/Kahfie Kamaru)
T
he National Mandate Party (PAN) would act as a “bridge” between the government and the Muslim community, its leader said this week, following a public announcement that it had agreed to join the ruling coalition.
PAN chairman Zulkifli Hasan said that the party aimed to bring the government and the country’s Muslim population closer, while reiterating the party's open and moderate stance.
“PAN is based on Pancasila, [it is] open to anyone,” Zulkifli said, referring to the state ideology in his opening speech at the political party’s national meeting on Tuesday.
He also rebuffed certain views claiming that the government had been distancing itself from Islam, reminding PAN members of several prominent Muslim leaders in the Joko “Jokowi” Widodo administration, including Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Mudhadjir Effendi and Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD.
“Especially now that what we think is being taken into account, we want PAN to be able to reconcile [itself with Islam],” Zulkifli said.
The national meeting concluded with the party agreeing to join the ruling coalition.
“The national meeting agrees to be [part of] the governing coalition to bring goodness and benefits to the nation,” PAN vice chairman Viva Yoga Mauladi said in a statement.
