PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang

By Kazi Mahmood, IOL Southeast Asia Correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR, February 15 (IslamOnline.net) - Islamic parties in South East Asia (SEA) have been urged to take up economic issues and to depart from ‘political Islam” to portray a more solid and national image if they want to conquer a larger spectrum of the populations of their countries.

In Indonesia, political experts told Islamonline.net Sunday, February 15, that Islamic parties were still reluctant to take on a national image, let alone an international image by constantly failing to take up issues of national interest, such as the economy, human rights and the development of the quality of life.

“Islamic parties in this region are still at an infancy age, and it is a pity that there is no real focus on issues that are of interest to a larger spectrum of the populations they are targeting,” said Hamdi Bakarin, who studied Islamic politics and Political Science before taking up a position in a consultancy firm in Jakarta.

He criticized the Party Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), the largest and oldest Islamic party in the SEA region for failing to depart from basic “Islamic issues” and for being a constant opponent to what many people see as progress and development.

“This is the image the PAS gives and their moderate successes in Malaysia, a country where conservatism is still a mainstay compared to liberal Indonesia, do not prove their capacity to go to higher levels, they have to change that before it is too late,” he said.

“I am comparing the PAS to the Islamic parties based in Indonesia because it is obvious that these local parties are following the footsteps of the PAS in every way,” added the consultant.

The Party Keadilaan Sejahtera (PK), currently the most dominant and active force among all Islamic parties in Indonesia does not have an economic plan nor does it know where it is heading in terms of the quality of life in this populous Islamic nation, as per the expert.

Another expert in political Islam, Muhammad Isa Selamat, who said he believed it was true Islamic parties were too much involved in proving that Islam was better than other systems.

“Islamic Parties Capable”

He, however, insisted that these parties were capable parties and that their leadership was good enough to bring economic changes in countries like Indonesia.

“Islam is complete; it encloses all aspects of life from economy to social and politics as well as human rights, women rights and even animal rights. I see it this way: the Islamic parties are good in their nature and in sincere in their promises.

“It is a fact that they have to do politics first then they can go on with other issues, such as human rights and economy though they do not expand on these issues for the moment,” he added

“Not talking too much of economy does not mean they do not have an economic or social agenda or that they are simply trying to win votes,” said Isa, a political analyst who is also an adviser to the government of Bengkalis in the Riau province.

“Rasulullah (May peace be upon him) did politics first then after he controlled the country or the city, he expanded his economic policies that reached every single being,” he said.

“To me it is clear we should, in Indonesia at least, give full support to Islamic based parties since they are genuine in their attempts not only to ‘Islamize’ the country but also to bring justice and fairness to the people,” said Isa.

He also told IOL that he believed the Islamic based parties have the capacity to control the economy, society and all aspects of life in a country and they will be successful if they won in the upcoming elections.

Elections Due

Elections are scheduled for Malaysia and Indonesia and Islamic based political parties are expected to do better this time around in comparison to 1999 when in Malaysia the PAS won more seats and captured one more state from the ruling government.

In Indonesia, Islamic based parties won more than 25% of votes turning them into a valid and strong political force on the Indonesian political scene this after 32 years of political oblivion under the rule of General Suharto.

There at least four major Islamic parties in Indonesia, including the PK. The United Development Party (PPP) of Vice President Hamzah Haz, the Star and Crescent Party (PBB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) are the other parties that claim to have an Islamic agenda in Indonesia.

There are attempts to unite these parties before the April elections and this week alone, the Women Islamic Movement (GMI) in Jakarta has urged the Islamic parties to find a common platform and to appoint a united Presidential candidate to defeat President Megawati Sukarnoputri in the coming Presidential elections.

Indonesia is the largest Muslim populated nation on earth with 85 to 90 percent of its population of Islamic faith. Liberalism is the order of the day in this huge archipelago though Islamic based parties are creating a huge impact on the people in this nation.

It is expected that the Islamic based parties would win more than 40% of votes in the April elections and that they could pose as a great challenge in the race for the next president of the most difficult nation in South East Asia, said Isa Selamat to IOL.

In Malaysia, the PAS is posed to win more seats as a weaker United Malays National Organization (UMNO) is struggling to prove that it still has the support of a majority of the Malays in the country.

Malays form more than 60% of the population of Malaysia and they are a divided lot since the jailing of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who is currently serving a 15 years jail sentence for corruption and sodomy.

“The PAS is still poised to win more seats in the coming elections, which should be very soon, and this may affect the position of the UMNO in the ruling National Front (NF) coalition,” said Abdullah Majid, a political analyst with a foreign firm based in Kuala Lumpur.

He added that this perspective shivered many in the business circles in Malaysia, including among foreign experts and investors who does not know the economic agenda of the PAS.

He said the PAS did not make any effort to meet people in this field, considering foreign investors of non-Islamic origin as potential enemies.

“It is probable that the PAS is too concentrated on the Malay votes that it forgot there are a bunch of people out there that needs to know what they will do if they are in power,” added Majid, inviting the PAS to discuss with potential investors and non-Muslims alike on its national agenda.