Islamic Education Movement

Siradjuddin Abbas, Perti leader

Perti was established on 20 May 1930 in Bukitinggi, Sumatra by a number of Islamic scholars as a purely social organization that promoted Islamic education in response to Islamic modernism. Initially named the Islamic Education Association, (Indonesian: Persatuan Tarbijah Islamijah), at a conference of leaders on 22 November 1945, it was decided the organization would enter the political area and oppose Dutch colonialism. The organization was renamed the Islamic Perti Party, the association within the Perti acronym became movement. This change was approved at the party congress in December 1945, which followed the 3 November government decree allowing the formation of political parties. By 1950, the party claimed to have over one million members.[1][2]

As determined at the fourth party congress, held in Bukitinggi from 20-25 May, the party's main policies were:[3]

• to oppose colonialism and to bring about an Indonesia that is independent, sovereign, fair and prosperous
• to bring the people happiness and prosperity in line with the precepts of Islam
• to strive for all Muslims to properly adhere to Islamic principles and to promote Islamic culture
• to endeavor to make Islam the basis of life for the people of Indonesia

In the September 1955 legislative election, Perti came tenth nationally, with 1.3 percent of the vote, winning four seats in the 257-seat People's Representative Council, three from Central Sumatra and one from North Sumatra. Party leader Siradjuddin Abbas was elected to the legislature.[4][5] Three months later, it won a slightly smaller share of the vote in the Constituent Assembly election, resulting in the party obtaining seven of the 514 seats in the Constitutional Assembly, which was tasked with drawing up a permanent constitution. In the electoral district of Central Sumatra, where its central office was based, it came second to the Masyumi Party.[5] In the 1971 legislative election, it won only 0.70 percent of the vote and two seats in the legislature.[6]

Suharto's New Order regime wanted to ensure its continued rule by destroying the old political system, and it put pressure on the parties to merge into two groups, one of Islamic parties and the other of nationalist and Christian parties. As a result, along with the Nahdlatul Ulama the Indonesian Islamic Union Party (PSII) and Parmusi, in January 1973 Perti merged into the United Development Party (PPP). Perti's Rusli Chalil co-signed the PPP charter of establishment, and became one of the new party's vice-presidents.[10][11]