The Ummah Party (Indonesian: Partai Ummat) is a political party in Indonesia. Party formation was announced on 1 October 2020 and the party was officially established on 29 April 2021.[4][5]
The party aimed to attract Islamic populists,[8] whose presence heightened during the Aksi Bela Islam period.[9] The party, despite claiming to be a "Pancasila-based party",[10][11] recruited many notable Islamic right-wing figures within their rank and carried out Islamic right-wing agendas.[9]
Ansufri Idrus Sambo, former "Spiritual Teacher" of Prabowo Subianto, leader of Garda 212 and former Presidium Alumni 212 leader, is one of the many Indonesian Islamic right-wing figures who joined the party.[12][13] The Garda 212 is an unofficial political tool intended for Aksi Bela Islam alumni, but succeeded in providing channels and support for the alumni to become legislative candidates during 2019 Indonesian general election.[14] The organization is also notable for launching numerous Islamic populist themed conspiracy theories, including one which claimed that the 2018 Surabaya bombings were a false flag attack.[15]
Ideology
Ummah Party adheres to Islamist agenda. The party has been influenced by strong Islamism and anti-capitalism. The party explicitly prohibits its cadres to express their happiness, even just to clap or to congratulate, claiming that "it resembles Jews" and have to avoid banking or to get financial interests from them, viewed as a form of riba.
The party also encourages jihadism, but not terrorism and then denounced the misuse of jihadism to terror. But, the party claimed that all of the terrorists' action might be set-up, "very political", and "looks like an attempt to weaken the opposition", shows that party sided with right-wing Islam populist narrative. This party also advocated repeal of the Omnibus Law, agrarist reforms, social justice, and other advocations that similar with left-wing groups in Indonesia. That syncretism caused confusion among the political experts how to classify the alignment of a party.
Ummah Party strongly criticized the Chinese presence in Indonesia, at one point claimed that China is attempting to invade Indonesia through the construction of Nusantara.[16] Its manifesto film Harapan Ummat ("Hope of the Ummah") also depicted a truck carrying rice imported from China as a "colossal injustice".[17][18] The party also advocates sharia in Indonesia.
History
2024 election
The party initially registered to participate in the 2024 Indonesian general election, but failed to qualify. The party proceeded to launch a successful lawsuit against the General Elections Commission, leading to a reverification which found the party eligible to participate. Ummah was officially entered into the list of participating parties in the election on 30 December 2022, while other parties were entered on 14 December. Ummah received a ballot number of 24.[19] The party won 642,545 votes (0.42%) at the national legislative election and did not qualify for the national House of Representatives.[20] It won several seats at municipal legislatures, such as at the regencies of Bantul, Lamongan, and Jayapura, and the city of Padang.[21][22][23][24]
February 2022 crackdown
In 10 February 2022 at 9:15 AM, an Ummah Party cadre of the Bengkulu province branch[25] was arrested by Densus 88 for allegations of terrorism.[26] It was found that he had declared allegiance to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) since 1999 and was a direct disciple of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir and Abdullah Sungkar in 1993.[27][28] Spokesman for Ummah Party, Mustofa Nahrawardaya proposed the government to evaluate the working procedures of Densus 88 in order to not become a terror among the public.[29] Ummah Party also gave legal assistance to its arrested member[30] and stated that the party will never deactivate his membership status.[31] The captured member was member of the Bengkulu branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council. He was captured along with another member of the council. The capture further added the list of uncovered JI agents which spread to legal political party and state-sponsored religious agency.[32] While the party defended its arrested member, the arrest was praised by the National Mandate Party,[33]Nasdem,[34] and the Indonesian Solidarity Party.[35] The unusual move of the Ummah Party also attracted attention of social activist Islah Bahrawi. He further accused that the Ummah Party is a terror organization disguised as a political party or a front organization housing terrorist activity, citing a JI issued work, stating that to succeed their "long-term struggle strategy" they must implant their agents and cadres to sit in strategic positions in government, political and religious organizations, and businesses in hope facilitating the establishment of Islamic state in Indonesia.[28]
^Sulaiman, Yohanes (December 2020). "Rizieq Is the Symptom of a Far Deeper Disease". Global Asia. Retrieved 14 April 2021. In recent months, two new Islamist parties have emerged: Partai Ummat, led by venerable politician Amien Rais, a staunch Widodo opponent, and Partai Masyumi Reborn, led by Cholil Ridwan, who was also a major figure in the 212 Movement.
^Suryana, A'an; Taufek, Nor Syafiqah Mohd (19 November 2020). "A firebrand cleric's return boosts Islamist politics". Lowy Institute. Retrieved 14 April 2021. Veteran Islamist politician Amien Rais left the centrist National Mandate Party (PAN), which he founded in 1998, to establish a new Islamist party called Partai Ummat (Islam Community Party).
