The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) says that there is no need to ban the Islamic Defender Front (FPI) despite the latter’s continuous violent method in preaching the supposedly peaceful Islamic teachings.
“Let the law handle them [FPI]. As long as the police are firm on them, there is no need for them to become an illegal organization,” PKS senior politician Agus Purnomo told reporters over the phone on Tuesday.
Agus said that FPI’s brutality often came as a result of police’s ignorance.
Agus also denied that FPI members were a vital part of his party’s constituents.
“Our main voters are not from FPI,” he said.
Previously, a caucus of legislators coming from various factions at the House of Representatives officially launched a statement demanding the FPI to be banned.
PKS, which recently announced to be more pluralist, has none of its legislators to sign the statement. So is the case with the United Development Party (PPP), another Islamic party, and the relatively inclusive National Mandate Party (PAN).
The only Islamic party to have signed the statement was the National Awakening Party (PKB), which was founded by the country’s most prominent pluralist figure, the late Abdurahman “Gus Dur” Wahid.
The latest violent conduct made by the FPI was the ousting of three legislators during a free health clinic event.
The FPI suspected the event was a reunion of the now dis-banded Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) members.
In recent years, the country has also recorded numerous violent incidents conducted by the FPI. Most of them were clashes with other people from different religions and some even with their Muslim counterparts, who the FPI deem as being “too liberal to be a Muslim”.
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