*Flood relief takes centre stage in Jakarta poll * By John Aglionby in Jakarta
Published: February 9 2007 00:13 | Last updated: February 9 2007 00:13 Joko Teporoso has no doubt who is providing the most relief to the six families taking refuge in his three-room house in the Bangka area of south Jakarta after floods hit their homes on Thursday for the second time in six days. "It's definitely the PKS," he says, referring to Indonesia's Islamic-based Prosperous Justice party. "Some other parties have given a little but the PKS is providing three meals a day, clothes and medicine." With the first direct election of the Jakarta governor seven months away, prospective candidates and political parties have been distributing and, perhaps more importantly, being seen to be distributing aid. The PKS is known to emulate Middle Eastern groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah in its approach to social programmes, and is the party most closely watched. Its extensive relief operations during the 2002 Jakarta flood catapulted it to a prominence that in 2004 helped it to win a third of the seats on the city council, where its members form the largest political bloc. Though its leaders deny so publicly, the PKS is still believed to harbour dreams of bringing shariah law to the world's largest Muslim nation. Two dozen districts across Indonesia, including Tangerang, which borders Jakarta, have introduced aspects of Islamic rule. There are concerns that if the PKS won the governorship in addition to holding 25 of the 75 council seats, some form of Koranic law might come to the capital. The PKS appears to be sparing little effort in its relief drive. With 200 relief posts, it has twice as many as Golkar, its nearest rival, and is the only party that regularly trains flood response teams. Adang Dorodjatun, the PKS candidate for governor, has also been distributing aid in up to four areas daily. Sariman, secretary of the branch office covering Bangka, says: "Our philosophy is to teach people that the PKS is not just about politics and elections. We want to be part of the community; to serve the people 24 hours a day. If the effect is that people vote for us come election time, then we won't complain." None of the other parties pretends its efforts are anything other than campaigning. Firman Subagyo, head of Golkar's people welfare section, says: "It can't be denied there's competition between the political parties to win people's sympathy through social activities and the emergency response to natural disasters. "Parties that do nothing will be deserted. Social activities are part of every political party's efforts to maintain support." Golkar on Wednesday deployed the wife of Jusuf Kalla, the vice-president and its leader, to spearhead its relief distribution effort. The moderate Islamic National Awakening party drew attention to its efforts thanks to the presence of Abdurrahman Wahid, its patron and former president. The Democrat party, which came second in the 2004 council election, benefited from having President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, its leader, wading through the floodwaters as early as last Friday afternoon, hours after Jakarta's rivers started to burst their banks. No one is trying to score too many points with fiery speeches yet, however. Paul Rowland, Indonesia director for the National Democratic Institute, the overseas arm of the US Democratic party, says: "It might be seen as taking advantage of people's misery if you do that now." Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, a former environment minister, serving legislator and governor candidate, says the PKS presents a tough challenge. But like many analysts, he believes it will have to drop categorically any desire to introduce shariah law if it wants to win and retain the governorship of Indonesia's freewheeling capital. "In spite of the hardships and difficulties Indonesians are facing, the mainstream has always been moderate and I don't see that changing," he says. "I see the PKS drifting towards the moderate centre, the same way as the [now-ruling] Islamic [Justice and Development] party did in Turkey." *Additional reporting by Taufan Hidayat* Copyright <http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/copyright> The Financial Times Limited 2007
