Jakarta – The United Development Party (PPP) said Saturday it would never change its Islamic ideology as had the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which recently declared that it was attempting to be an "inclusive party".

"We won't change our Islamic ideology because we don't want to betray Muslims and our history," party deputy secretary-general "Romi" Romahurmuzy said in Surabaya, East Java.

He admitted that in the last two general elections, Islamic-based political parties had been deserted at the polls. Romi said his party would benefit from the PKS' change of stance.

"If the parliamentary threshold [to allow parties to get legislative seats] rose to 3 percent, we believe the PPP votes would increase significantly because PKS supporters who are strong Islamic ideologists would join us," he said.

Moreover, he continued, some of the Islamic parties that failed to pass the parliamentary threshold in the last election – the Star Crescent Party (PBB), Reform Star Party (PBR), the Ulema National Awakening Party (PKNU) and Indonesia United Nahdlatul Ummah Party (PPNUI) – had unofficial ties with the PPP.