internal dynamics of the prosperous justice party and jamaah tarbiyah 57
education. Hard science scholars are highest in status, followed by
scholars with a background in social and cultural sciences.⁶³
Since 1998, when the jt established a political party, the organisational
structures of the jt have blended with those of the pks. During 1998–2003,
the highest decision-making body was the National Assembly, which
holds the authority to draft and amend statutes, to elect the chairman of
the Shura Assembly, and to select chairmen and functionaries for the
Advisory Council, the Shariah Council, and the party’s central leadership.
The Shura (or Deliberation) Assembly had 99 members, 65 of whom
were elected proportionally from 33 provinces based on the approximate
numbers of jt members of each province, plus as two special members
the current and former Assembly chairmen (Hilmy Aminuddin and
Salim Segaf Al-Jufri), and 32 additional members who were selected by
the Assembly based on professional expertise.
In 2003, however, under the banner of the pks, the highest decision-
making body moved to the Shura Assembly, thus giving the supreme
leader – as the chairman – near-absolute authority. Although the National
Assembly still holds the right to draft and amend statutes, and to elect
the chairman and members of the Shura Assembly, it is in the hands
of the Shura Assembly to decide where, when and how the National
Assembly should be held. This change represents what political scientists
call ‘oligarchy’; that is, the shifting of the highest authority from the
hands of the members into the hands of the elite. The reason commonly
put forward by jt and pks leaders for this shift is that it simplifies the
decision-making process.⁶⁴
The new structures also create complexities as they blend jt organisa-
tional rules, which follow Islamic principles, and pks organisational rules,
which follow the national party system and the logic of political compe-
tition. As a consequence, what commonly happens is that most decisions
are taken with political considerations but stated, communicated and
explained using religious terminology. Party leaders need to commu-
nicate with their members using religious language, while at the same
time they have to make public statements using rational language. It also
explains the party’s ambiguous behaviour and its sometimes double stan-
dards. During national and especially regional elections, the pks always
issues official statements about why it nominates certain candidates using
Islamic criteria, while there are many media reports purporting to show
how those decisions are made based purely on political deals.⁶⁵
Interview with Arief Munandar, Jakarta.
Permata, ‘Islamist Party and Democratic Participation’, 187.
Tempo, 26 August 2012.