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A highly conservative Islamic party, the party’s main constituencies are in western Java and in Sumatra, regions that have historically close ties with the rebellious Darul Islamiyah-Indonesian Islamic Army (DI-TII) movement. |
The PKS’ political ideology is primarily conservative Islam. The party advocates for the promotion of Islamic morality, values and, in some cases, the implementation of sharia (Islamic law) in governance, particularly at the regional level.
The PKS generally takes a conservative stance on social and moral issues, opposing liberal policies on issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and emphasizing traditional family values.
The party also champions clean and transparent governance, advocating for anticorruption measures and ethical practices in the public sector.
The party’s roots can be traced back to an Islamic preaching movement that gained momentum in the 1980s at local universities.
Led by Mohammad Natsir, a former prime minister with ties to the now-dissolved organization Masyumi, the movement laid the foundation for PKS.
In 1967, Natsir established the Indonesian Islamic Propagation Council (DDII), which initially focused on countering Christian missionary activities.
It also played a pivotal role in establishing Latihan Mujahid Dakwah (LMD; Mujtahid Da'wah Training), an institute led by Imaduddin “Bang Imad” Abdulrahim that provided religious training at Salman Mosque on the grounds of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).
Challenges under New Order
In the mid-1980s, the New Order government mandated that all mass organizations adopt Pancasila as their foundational ideology. This directive caused discontent among some Islamic figures, who believed that it undermined political Islam.
At the same time the Jamaah Tarbiyah movement gained traction among student activists and clerics at university campuses. The movement’s members went on to establish the Campus Da’wah Institute (LDK), which later gained recognition as an Islamic student organization at secular universities across the country.
These groups organized small study circles called usrah, a kind of recruitment system resembling that of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
From LDKs to political party
Despite factional differences, the individual LDK campus groups united to form the Indonesian Student Da’wah Forum (FSLDK) in 1986.
In 1998, the establishment of the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI), led by Fahri Hamzah, was declared at the 10th FSLDK meeting. After president Suharto resigned in May 1998, KAMMI leaders contemplated creating an Islamic political party, which led to the birth of the Justice Party (PK).
The PK was launched on July 20, 1998 at Al-Azhar Mosque in Jakarta, with Didin Hafidhuddin as its first president. In the 1999 legislative elections, the PK secured around 1.36 percent of the national vote, falling short of the 2 percent legislative threshold.
Consequently, the PK entered into a coalition with eight other Islamic parties in May 1999.
Transformation into PKS
Following the 1999 elections, the PK underwent a leadership change, with Nurmahmudi Isma'il elected as its second president. Nurmahmudi was later appointed in October 1999 as forestry minister in the National Unity Cabinet of president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid.
This led to Hidayat Nur Wahid, a graduate of the Islamic University of Madinah, assuming the party’s presidency on May 21, 2000.
The PK struggled to meet the legislative threshold in subsequent elections, which prompted a name change. The party rebranded on July 2, 2003 as the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and was verified through the Law and Human Rights Ministry at the provincial and district levels.
Under its new name, the PKS contested the 2004 legislative elections and secured around 7.34 percent of the nationwide vote to win 45 House seats, making it the sixth-largest party in Indonesia.
Voted for:
Voted against:
Abstain:
Convicted high-profile members:
1. Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq
Luthfi was the fourth PKS president and once served as a House lawmaker.
He resigned from his position in 2014 over his conviction in a bribery case related to beef imports involving the Agriculture Ministry. During his legislative term, he was found to have manipulated import tariffs and received Rp 40 billion (US$2.5 million) in kickbacks from PT Indoguna Utama.
2. Gatot Pujo Nugroho
A former North Sumatra governor, Gatot was sentenced in 2016 to six years in prison by the Medan Corruption Court for misappropriating Rp 4.3 billion from social assistance funds.
Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) members’ corruption tally: *
* Information courtesy of BijakMemilih.id
