Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has declared itself ready to become an inclusive political party and embrace all groups of society, a party executive says.
Speaking during his opening remarks at the party's national working meeting held in Yogyakarta on Thursday evening, PKS president Luthfi Hasan Ishaq said that the party's exclusive image was only a consequence of a developing organization that required discipline and hard work from all its party cadres.
"That phase has been passed and the PKS is now entering a new phase as a party that is more open to all groups of the community," Luthfi said.
The meeting will run until Saturday.
The image of openness was clearly shown during the opening ceremony. Unlike previous events, the opening of the party's national working meeting on Thursday evening was rich in entertainment involving various community groups.
Among others included a traditional performance by the Lima Gunung dance club of Magelang, Central Java, a traditional Javanese dance performance by Beksan Lawung Ageng and a hip hop song performance by the Jogja Hiphop Foundation.
The meeting was officially opened by Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, also king of the Yogyakarta Palace, who is well-known as a model of pluralism.
According to Luthfi, PKS has been enjoying great progress, year after year. This, he said, can be seen from the number of seats it won in the House of Representatives, increasing from an initial seven to the party's current 57 seats.
Considering the party's development, PKS has set a target to become one of three biggest parties in the next national legislative election, he added.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Sultan Hamengkubuwono expressed hope that being a party with a mission of justice, PKS's challenge in the future would help uphold human rights and religious freedom as part of its agenda.
"The freedom of religion has been recently marred with sectarian violence. It's now the right time to make political parties an element of integration and glue for national unity," the Sultan said.
Some 3,500 PKS cadres from across the country joined the meeting. Also attending the opening ceremony were Social Services Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufri, Communication and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring and Research and Technology Minister Suharna Surapranata.
As a member of the ruling coalition, PKS may be facing the possibility of being expelled from the coalition due to the party's repeated contrarian positions, which at times have been considered by others to be rebellious.
The latest case was Tuesday's vote for a proposed tax graft inquiry committee at the House. Together with fellow coalition partner Golkar, PKS decided to oppose the coalition's other members by supporting the proposal to create the tax inquiry committee, even though they lost the heated contest by a two-vote margin.
The Democratic Party, founded by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, reportedly said it is evaluating the coalition membership of the PKS and Golkar with regard to "the two parties' rebellious acts in the case".