Jakarta – The 7th Congress of the United Development Party (PPP) concluded on Wednesday with Suryadharma Ali being reelected to another five-year term. Practically securing his second term unchallenged, he won the party's chairmanship through 2016 with 859 votes, leaving behind Akhmad Muqowam with 281 votes and Ahmad Yani with only 39 votes.
Suryadharma was added to the list of reelected PPP chairmen since the party's establishment in 1973 after Jailani Naro, Ismail Hasan Metareum and Hamzah Haz.
Addressing a media conference after official confirmation of his win, Suryadharma vowed to supporters and fellow party members that he would work harder in his second term to make the PPP better.
He did not elaborate further what "a better political party" meant, but it was likely he was aiming at better achievement in the next general elections in 2014.
The question is whether his ambition is on par with reality, particularly in reference to the PPP's performance in the past three general elections, which saw a declining trend of party success at the national electoral level from 10.7 percent of the vote in 1999 to 8.15 percent in 2004 and to 5.32 percent in 2009.
Another concern is whether Suryadharma, who is also the Religious Affairs Minister, can consolidate his party members for the upcoming elections with only three years left.
The statistics show the PPP's failure to win the hearts and minds of first-time or young voters, including during Suryadharma's first term, and indicate that the party relied on the loyalty of aging voters. The data reflects the party's failure to introduce down-to-earth programs that are acceptable and attractive to a younger generation that is intellectually more sensitive and critical of the country's political affairs.
Despite the popularity that led to his reelection, Suryadharma's chairmanship is not without risk for the party either, as the PPP under his leadership had been considerably less critical of the government – a significant factor that might have made the PPP less attractive to young voters and could hamper the party's efforts to significantly pump up its electoral achievement in 2014.
Another significant factor that may bury Suryadharma's dreams of improving the electoral achievement of the Muslim-based political party is the fact that members of key traditional religious groups such as the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Masyumi, which had also been the supporters of the PPP, had scattered and voted for other Muslim-based parties such as the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), or moderate political parties with close links with the NU or Masyumi such as the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), or even nationalist parties such as the Democratic Party, the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Worse is the fact that Muslim-based and moderate political parties have also been tainted with corruption cases with their politicians in the House of Representatives having been charged and convicted.
These also explain why not only the PPP but the other Muslim-based parties are struggling to increase their electoral achievements, let alone win the majority of the votes. Unless they take drastic and bold actions to improve their images and offer tangible programs for the betterment of the country and the people, expectations for better electoral achievements will remain dreams for them.