PKB Becomes Full CALD Member

Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa (PKB) or Nation Awakening Party of Indonesia is the newest full member-party of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD).  In the 34th CALD Executive Committee Meeting held on 5 November 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand, the members of CALD’s governing council unanimously approved the application of PKB for full membership.

PKB had been an observer member-party in CALD for about a decade.  One of its founders is the late Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), the fourth President of the Republic of Indonesia, CALD Individual Member, and father of pluralism and moderate Islam in the country.  PKB is a Muslim-based political party that stands for an open, democratic and just society for all Indonesians.   It adheres to the belief that moderate Islam is compatible to democratic values and principles.  Although the party has a strong commitment to Islam, it rejects the idea of Islamic state and promotes the institutionalization of democracy and pluralism.

The party participated in the four general elections in the post-Soeharto era (1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014).   In 2014, it obtained 9.04% of the national votes, making it the fifth largest political party in the country.  The ruling Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (PDI-P) or Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, a full CALD member-party, is the largest party with 18.95% of the national votes.  PDIP and PKB are currently part of the governing coalition.

“We are very pleased to become a full member-party of CALD, and we look forward to enhancing further our cooperation with our sister-parties in the region and beyond”, says Hesbul Bahar, who represented the PKB in the Executive Committee Meeting together with Maria Eva. “Our founding father, the late Abdurrahman Wahid, must have been delighted that PKB has taken this important step in making our relationship with CALD stronger, especially at a time when our shared values and principles are under threat.”