Amien announced the move on YouTube on Thursday, a move seen by many as his way of placing his new party in clear opposition to the government. In a slight riff aimed at the Jokowi administration, he said the state was not capable of “upholding equitability” and committing “colossal tyranny”. 

 

“It all depends on the ruling government, whether it defends the interests of the people and ummah [community], or on the contrary, defends those of conglomerates and the corporatocracy,” he said in a video. 

 

“Eventually, a community of mankind should strive to uphold justice and fight systemic tyranny through political struggle. God willing, the Ummah Party is determined to work with and struggle alongside other children of the nation [to do this].”

 

The erstwhile PAN icon went on to affirm his party’s adherence to the principles of the state ideology Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution and the universal principles of democracy. Indonesian Institutes of Sciences (LIPI) political observer Firman Noor said Ummah reflected the diverging visions of Amien and his former PAN colleagues, who appear to be taking a softer stance against the government, despite the party’s exclusion from the ruling big-tent coalition. 

 

“This is a medium of expression and experimentation [for Amien] following his own political analysis that the current regime is problematic and that the solution was to become an antithesis to it,” Firman said on Thursday. 

 

Amien brandished himself on the political stage as an icon of reform who helped bring down the New Order, and was widely respected as a former leader of Muhammadiyah, the country’s second-largest Muslim group. However, he became an increasingly divisive political figure, even in his own party, as the years went by, which resulted in PAN wading in and out of the opposition. 

 

Amien and his loyalists have been preparing the groundwork for the Ummah Party as the internal rift with other PAN executives continued to widen, which escalated following the resignation of Hanafi Rais, Amien’s son, from the party and its faction in the House of Representatives, in May. Hanafi was the erstwhile leader of PAN’s legislative faction and held a senior position in House Commission I overseeing foreign affairs. 

 

The announcement of Amien’s Ummah Party marks a continuing trend of infighting among political parties that has led to the formation of new ones, further crowding the political landscape. 

 

Prior to Ummah, there was the Gelora Party, which was founded by former members of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) who were excluded from positions of authority by the current party leadership. Others include the Berkarya Party, the Gerindra Party and the NasDem Party, all of which were founded following power struggles within the Golkar Party. 

 

PAN deputy chairman Viva Yoga Mauladi said Amien’s announcement marked the end of his role in a party he chaired between 2000 and 2005. While congratulating his former party icon, Viva was also quick to draw the line between Amien’s old and new platforms. 

 

“PAN welcomes the Ummah Party to the political arena. In terms of political ideology, PAN and Ummah are different. PAN is nationalist-religious, while Ummah is an Islamic party,” Viva told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. “Differences in political ideology are sure to bring different consequences for the public.” 

 

Viva expressed confidence that there would not be a significant number of PAN members that would follow Amien into the Ummah Party, insisting that as of Thursday, no legislative members of PAN at the House or at regional legislative councils had said they were leaving.

 

Meanwhile, other politicians also extended their congratulations, with United Development Party (PPP) lawmaker Achmad Baidowi and Gerindra lawmaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad both saying that the establishment of a new party reflected the "dynamism" and "healthy state of Indonesia’s democracy". 

 

Political analysts, however, have pointed out that the Ummah Party faced an uphill battle to consolidate its grassroots support, as it competed with PAN to attract a strong voter base, among other things. 

 

Indonesia Political Review executive director Ujang Komarudin said it was likely that Amien would try to gain support from Muhammadiyah, which, with his close ties to the organization, may effectively pit him against his former party. 

 

“The new party likely wants to attract a base that is similar to PAN. If they can gain support, that would be an advantage. But PAN will likewise aim to defend their grassroots support,” Ujang said on Thursday. 

 

Meanwhile, LIPI’s Firman said it would be challenging to break into the national political scene, particularly after seeing how new parties such as the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) or even those with significant financial backing such as the United Indonesia Party (Perindo), had failed to pass the legislative threshold in the 2019 election.