ISLAMIC PARTY HOLDS HUGE ELECTION RALLY IN JAKARTA

Sumber : Yahoo! News Malaysia via Yahoo! Alerts AFP - Tuesday, March 31

JAKARTA (AFP) - - More than 100,000 people turned out in Jakarta on Monday at an election rally held by the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) ahead of Indonesia's April 9 legislative polls.

Party supporters filled the national stadium waving yellow, black and white party flags as the world's third-biggest democracy after India and the United States counted down to election day.

Police said there were around 100,000 in the stadium, which was packed to the rafters, with many thousands more outside, even though opinion polls show the PKS is likely to struggle to win five percent of the vote.

Party president Tifatul Sembiring warmed up the crowd by joining with PKS lawmakers to sing a party song to a rock-pop tune backed by a young all-male band.

But his message of pluralism and tolerance clashed with party T-shirts on sale outside the stadium bearing slogans such as "Islam is the highest, there's no higher than Islam."

Party officials encouraged the crowd to shout "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greater) at significant moments throughout the rally.

"I want to tell the Indonesian people that if you choose us we will give you change, if you choose us we will give you power," Sembiring said, promising free education and "social welfare" for all.

"We will fight for you, we will fight for your children, we will fight for your wives. For all religions, we do not differentiate, we will protect you."

He reminded supporters that the PKS has not been tainted by an ongoing anti-corruption drive which has seen the arrest of several lawmakers and senior officials.

"Some people are named after prophets but they have been arrested by the KPK (anti-corruption commission) for corruption, but no one from the PKS has ever been arrested by the KPK," he said.

Observers have been closely watching the PKS, which espouses a moderate form of Islam, despite its links to Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Founded after the 1998 fall of the Suharto dictatorship, it has scored stunning successes in recent regional elections on the back of its clean and pious image in the mainly Muslim archipelago of 234 million people.

But its hopes of winning 20 percent of the vote -- enough to field its own candidate in presidential elections in July -- seem to have foundered as polls show voters continue to prefer nationalist parties.

It has scored less than five percent in recent surveys, in part because of its strong support for a new anti-pornography law that is seen by many as out of step with Indonesia's diverse cultures, analysts said.

Party loyalist Weny, 38, said she supported the introduction of sharia, or Islamic, law to Indonesia.

"Islam protects everyone. If sharia laws are followed there will be no murders or robberies. Non-Muslims shouldn't worry about voting for the PKS because they will be free to practise their religion," the teacher told AFP.

Hotel worker Ahmad Zaid, 28, said he was disgusted by other parties' use of female dancers and pop singers at their election rallies and appreciated the PKS's style.

"Many other parties engage dungdut (traditional folk) singers and dancers for their campaigns but I consider this sinful. The PKS didn't do that so I'm convinced it has the right leaders," he said.

Hawkers outside the stadium sold party T-shirts urging people to fight jihad, or "holy war," in the Palestinian territories