Devi Asmarani, Surabaya – The rising star of Islamic-based parties in Indonesia is making waves by eroding the vote base of established secular giants.

But the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), formed to woo devout Muslims six years ago, downplayed its religious credentials to win support.

Of the two-thirds of votes counted by yesterday, PKS had secured 6.9 per cent of votes nationwide. In the capital city, it looked set to finish first with 22 per cent of votes, soaring above giants like the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle (PDI-P) and Golkar.

Observers have dubbed its success – a sixfold increase from the barely 1 per cent of votes won in 1999 – phenomenal because its leader Hidayat Nurwahid is not considered a star candidate.

Besides, this year's poll results have shown a significant decrease in support for other Islamic parties like the 30-year-old United Development Party.

PKS was one of the first Islamic parties to cite Islam as its platform. But this year, the word "Islam" hardly appeared in its campaign. Though the party has said it wants to transform Indonesia into an Islamic society with Islamic values, there has been no mention of syariah law during campaigning.

Instead, the party has focused on issues like corruption and unemployment. PKS' pitch has been that it is a party for everyone.

Party spokesman Suryama Sastra told The Straits Times: "From the beginning, it was clear that we are an Islamic party. So what we have to do is prove that we are different from the rest through actions." For him, the results come as no surprise. "Our campaigns began long before the campaigning month started," he said.

The party has been diligently grooming its cadres, going for door-to-door visits, hosting religious gatherings and doing charity work in areas hit by natural disasters. They assisted the urban poor during the flood disaster in Jakarta two years ago. Analysts said this may have paid off in the latest elections.

Apart from the urban poor, the biggest bloc of PKS supporters are middle-class and educated voters, including young professionals who see the party as one that will fight graft.

But some analysts warn that the party could be deceiving its constituents by playing down its Islamic credentials and casting off its conservative agenda to appeal to voters across the board. At its core, PKS remains a staunchly Islamic party, they said, adding that it has been at the forefront of movements that place the party alongside hardline elements of the Islamic community here.

They held protests against the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the US war against Iraq, although all of them were carried out peacefully.

Mr Suryama, however, insisted that PKS has not diluted its Islamic credentials. He pointed out that last year, for example, when some Christian and non-Muslim minority groups called for changes to an Education Bill that was seen as being too Islamic oriented, the party openly opposed the demand for changes.

He said: "We are a cross between a political and a cultural movement. That explains why in certain times, we are staunchly Islamic, and other times we have to tone it down."

The process to transform Indonesia into an Islamic society would take a while, he said. "Our role for the time being is to educate people so that they would decide on it through rational judgment and through consensus like the election, not through violence and intimidation," he added.