ISLAMIC PARTY VALUES PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PROGRAMS

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000054 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/PD, R, ECA, IIP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KISL KPAO ID SUBJECT: ISLAMIC PARTY VALUES PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PROGRAMS ¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive But Unclassified -- please handle accordingly. ¶3. (SBU) SUMMARY: Leaders of Indonesia's largest Islamic party (PKS) told the Ambassador that separatism, climate change and transnational crime were the greatest threats to Indonesia's security. PKS officials said they appreciated USG public diplomacy programs, especially exchanges. END SUMMARY ¶4. (SBU) Ambassador Hume paid a January 8 introductory call on Tifatul Sembiring, President of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS),Indonesia's largest Islamic political party. Taufik Ramlan Wijaya, head of the PKS International Relations Division, and Zulkieflimansyah (one name only),a PKS member of the National Assembly (DPR) also participated. PKS burst onto the national political scene in the 2004 elections, in which it captured more than seven percent of the popular vote after highlighting its anti-corruption credentials and downplaying its commitment to sharia law. Since 2004, the party has continued to build its infrastructure by expanding its community outreach, especially to university students. The party has had strong showings in local elections, including this summer's gubernatorial race in Jakarta, but nation-wide polling shows that PKS' support has dropped to 5% since 2004. PKS, which is an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, backed SBY in the second round of the 2004 presidential race, has three ministers in the cabinet (agriculture, housing, and youth and sports). ¶5. (SBU) PKS PRIORITIES: Tifatul explained that the PKS had identified the key top threats to Indonesia's security regional separatism; climate change; and transnational crime (including terrorism, trafficking in persons and money laundering). The Ambassador said this was a good set of priorities and urged PKS to work with other elements of President Yudhoyono's ruling coalition to counter these problems. ¶6. (SBU) PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PAYS OFF: Tifatul thanked the Ambassador for USG public diplomacy programs, which had greatly benefited PKS officials. Tifatul noted he had visited the U.S. in 2006 through the International Visitor Program and said the experience had given him a greater understanding of U.S. politics, culture, and society. PKS legislator Zulkieflimansyah also noted the value of USG-sponsored programs in making available to Indonesian audiences translations of books about the United States. USG PD programs also helped PKS officials better understand America's democratic process, a lesson they hoped to put into practice in their own political campaigning. The interlocutors repeatedly stressed their appreciation for these opportunities to understand the U.S. better and urged that USG continue to include PKS candidates in the exchange programs. ¶7. (SBU) The Ambassador underscored the USG's commitment to public diplomacy and to engagement with PKS. He noted that he would host an event for Super Tuesday to engage Indonesians on the U.S. elections and would invite Indonesian political parties to attend. He also explained that he was working to bring a National Basketball Association (NBA) exhibition to Indonesia. The PKS interlocutors welcomed the program and said sports offered an excellent way to build understanding across cultures. (Note: the Minister of Youth and Sports in the Yudhoyono administration is a PKS member.) ¶8. (SBU) DECENTRALIZATION AND DEMOCRACY: Parliamentarian Zulkieflimansyah reiterated PKS's support for Indonesia's process of decentralization, calling it a critical factor shaping the country's democratic transformation. Outsiders, particularly multinational companies, frequently did not understand Indonesia's decentralization, Zulkieflimansyah said. It was important that companies establish good relationships with local politicians in order to cope with Indonesia's increasingly decentralized democracy. HUME