64 islam, politics and change
one year from inception to election – and relied more on its internal
networks ofusrohcells. In addition, the electoral law had not required
any organisational benchmark. For the 2004 election, the electoral Law
No. 8/2000 required that in order to be eligible to participate in the
elections a political party needed to establish organisational branches
in all of the provinces and half the total number of districts in those
provinces.
Secondly, in terms of human resources, it started to sort and select
party leaders and functionaries not only based on their seniority in
the jt network, but rather on individual character and skills suitable
to the organisation’s requirements. The pks also systematically trained
and upgraded the various skills and capabilities of party leaders and
functionaries by organising courses, workshops and training on various
subjects, such as delivering public speeches, writing in public media,
talking in front of tv cameras, lobbying, fundraising, even in carrying out
psychological warfare through black campaigns, such as how to exploit
the weaknesses and scandals of other parties in order to demoralise its
political competitors and to boost the confidence of its supporters.
Thirdly, in terms of political strategy, in which they perceived politics
no longer as a natural social process, but rather a competition needing to
be pursued in its own way. They raised funds intensively, both from jt
members and external donors, domestic and foreign. They started to
perceive politics merely as a means to an end, and strategic collaborations
with anyone were viewed as tolerable or even necessary, as long as the
partners were committed to the long-term goals of the party’s mission.⁷⁴
They publicised their opinions and activities by organising rallies and
protests against various domestic and international issues. pks leaders
became aware of and skilful in using public media by inviting reporters
to their activities.⁷⁵
At this point the disagreements started to emerge among jt and pks
members respectively. Controversy often centres around the issue of
fundraising: fundraising, in which pks functionaries actively mobilise
financial support from external donors, including government institu-
tions, the network close to the Suharto family and business companies
owned by non-Muslims. Critics and protests started to emerge among jt
activists who saw these activities as defiant both morally and politically.
Morally, the critics argued that politics should be taken as an integral
Interview with Hidayat Nur Wahid, Jakarta. He also mentioned that years ahead
of the election pks members persuaded jt members to save white shirts and
headscarves to be printed with the party logo for election campaigns.
Permata, ‘Islamist Party and Democratic Participation’, 216.