you shouldnt post this kind of information, sir. it might cause somebody crying and crawling :))
> http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d1aeb3ee-22c6-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1 > > Call of Islam fades for Indonesian voters > By John Aglionby in Jakarta > > Published: April 6 2009 17:52 | Last updated: April 6 2009 17:52 > > Tens of thousands of supporters of the Prosperous Justice party (PKS), > Indonesia's most orthodox Islamic political party, last Monday packed > Jakarta's main sports stadium for one of the biggest rallies of the > legislative election campaign. > > But the size of the gathering flattered to deceive, if opinions polls > ahead of Thursday's vote and most analysts' predictions are correct. > > Not only is PKS losing momentum, but support in the world's most populous > Muslim nation for all Islamic-based parties - which in the 2004 general > election won 38.4 per cent of the vote - is expected to fall to as low as > 20 per cent. > Two years ago, PKS, which prides itself on its squeaky clean image and > ability to mobilise committed supporters, believed it could triple its > current 8 per cent representation in parliament, in itself a four-fold > increase on its 1999 showing. > > But now its target is more modest. "We aim to get 10-14 per cent if there > are no big blunders," said Zulkieflimansyah, the head of the parliamentary > faction. Opinion polls suggest it will struggle to reach its lower > estimate. > > Other Islamic parties face an even worse showing. The United Development > party has 58 seats in the 550-member parliament, making it the third > largest party. But it may win only half that number. The National > Awakening party, once led by former president Abdurrahman Wahid, is > divided. > > This slump is occurring in spite of a conspicuous rise in personal piety > in Muslim society and "victories" for orthodox Islam. > > The latter includes the government's restrictions on Ahmadiyah, a Muslim > sect from India that many Muslim groups in Indonesia regard as deviant, > and the passing of an anti-pornography law that curtails women's rights > and some cultural activities. > > There have been less restrictive developments. In 2006 a law was passed > freeing Indonesians from the obligation to declare their religion on their > identity card. In the past year the authorities have clamped down on > Islamist groups such as the Islamic Defenders Front, imprisoning its > leader for inciting violence. > > Amin Abdullah, the head of the State Islamic University in Yogyakarta, > believes there is little correlation between politics and personal piety. > "Politics is not ritual, it is public service, public governance," he > said. "So the rise in popularity of ritual can't be linked with parties' > popularity." > > Islamic parties' perceived reputation for purity has taken a double blow > since 2004 during the presidency of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is > polling strongly ahead of the July 8 presidential election. > > The former general has maintained a graft-free reputation and his > performance has easily eclipsed his two predecessors, so his secular > Democrat party is polling at more than 20 per cent, up from 7.5 per cent > in 2004. > > Furthermore, five of the nine members or former members of parliament > prosecuted for corruption in the past three years have come from Islamic > parties. > > Zulkieflimansyah acknowledges that since religious ideology no longer wins > votes, parties must adapt if they are to prosper. "We're educated enough > to understand that Islam can't be used as a platform. Ideology is not sexy > and platforms need more substance." > > This drift away from Islamisation of politics is shown in the falling > number of regulations containing Islamist elements that regional > administrations have introduced. According to data compiled by the > National Commission On Violence Against Women, this peaked at 31 in 2003 > but has averaged five since 2007. > > Secular parties are reaching out to devout Muslim voters more than in the > past to try to win votes. > > The Democrat party has run advertisements targeting devout Muslims, while > the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, led by Mr Yudhoyono's > predecessor, Megawati Sukarnoputri, formed an Islamic wing in 2007. Both > parties still regard themselves as secular in their platforms. > > Moreover, the foreign policy of former US president George W Bush, widely > seen as anti-Muslim in Indonesia, appears to have hurt the fortunes of the > largely moderate Islamic parties. > > Robin Bush, a US expert on Islamic Indonesia, said: "There was so much > mainstream Muslim anger at the US and at those policies that anyone who > tried to talk about issues of compatibility and democratisation, pluralism > or tolerance were labelled handmaidens of the west. [So] the international > dimension emasculated support for an indigenous Muslim democracy movement > that long pre-dated 9/11." > > The less confrontational policies of Barack Obama, US president, who spent > four years of his childhood in Indonesia, appear to be reversing this > trend, but too late to make much of a difference at the ballot box. > > Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009 > > EDITOR'S CHOICE > Indonesia poll's family ties - Aug-01 > Bribery conviction raises pressure on Jakarta - Jul-30 > Tactical change to draw Indonesia voters - Jul-13 > Suharto's son faces $440m corruption lawsuit - May-05 > Indonesia bank governor held in graft probe - Apr-10 > Civil suit against Suharto family dismissed - Mar-27 > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >
