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INFO RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0051
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SURABAYA 000039 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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SIPDIS 
 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KISL KCOR ID
SUBJECT: SOUTH SULAWESI:  PLAYING POLITICS WITH SHARIAH LAW 
 
SURABAYA 00000039  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
This message is sensitive, but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The November 5 gubernatorial election in 
Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla's home province of South 
Sulawesi is both a battle within the local Golkar party and a 
referendum on the implementation of Shariah law in the province. 
 An internal local Golkar dispute now pits the current governor 
against the current vice governor, with a third challenger 
advocating implementation of Shariah law.  Local observers are 
concerned that the candidates are playing politics with an issue 
without understanding the potential ramifications.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  The November 5 gubernatorial election in South 
Sulawesi originally shaped up to be a battle of local Golkar 
heavy weights: current Governor Amin Syam, the Chairman of the 
South Sulawesi Golkar Party against current Vice Governor 
Syahrul Yasin Limpo, former Secretary of Golkar in the 1990s. 
A civil servant considered to be a "Golkar man," Syahrul `s 
decision to break ranks and run against Amin Syam, with the full 
support of the National Mandate Party (PAN), highlights 
divisions within Golkar in the home region of Indonesia's Vice 
President and Golkar National Party Chairman Yusuf Kalla. 
 
The Candidates and the Intrigue 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The internal Golkar intrigue reached its height when 
Agus Arifin Nu'mang, the house speaker of the South Sulawesi 
House of Representatives (DPRD), joined Syahrul's campaign as 
his running mate.  As the result of an internal party dispute, 
in August 2007, Governor Amin Syam had demoted Agus from Golkar 
Secretary to Deputy Chairman of Religious Affairs.  In response, 
 
SIPDIS 
Agus joined Syahrul's campaign to replace Amin Syam.  Agus had 
strongly objected to Amin Syam's decision to break Golkar's 
commitment to nominate candidates from within the party when he 
selected Prof Mansyur Ramly as his running mate. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Prof. Mansyur Ramly is the founder of KPPSI, the Komite 
Persiapan Penerapan Syariah Islam di Sulawesi (Preparation 
Committee to Implement Islamic Shariah in Sulawesi -- KPPSI). 
Ramly established KPPSI several years ago to lay the legislative 
groundwork for the implementation of Shariah law throughout the 
province by 2008.  KPPSI members include academics at prominent 
South Sulawesi universities, including Hassanuddin University 
and Muslim University of Indonesia (UMI), as well as 
representatives on the local Islamic Council.  Prof. Ramly was 
previously the Rector of UMI.  Although not a Golkar party 
member, Prof. Ramly is Yusuf Kalla's brother-in-law.  Amin Syam 
and Mansyur Ramly have been endorsed by Golkar, the Prosperous 
Justice Party (PKS), The Democratics Party, and the National 
Awakening Party (PKB). 
 
¶5. (SBU) Amin Syam also faces a challenge from Abdul Aziz Qahhar 
Mudzakkar, a founding father and the current chief of KPPSI, and 
his running mate businessman Mubyl Handaling.  Aziz initially 
tried to join Syahrul as his vice gubernatorial running mate, 
but was rejected by PAN so decided to run for governor himself. 
Aziz is the son of rebel Kahar Mudzakar, who led a rebellion 
against the newly independent state of Indonesia in an effort to 
establish Sulawesi as an Islamic State.  This rebellion kept 
South and Southeast Sulawesi in a state of civil unrest for 
years.  Kahar was eventually killed by Indonesian troops and the 
rebellion squashed in the 1950s.  Abdul Aziz's candidacy is 
supported by the United Development Party (PPP), the Crescent 
Star Party (PBB), the Freedom Bull Nationalist Party (PNBK), and 
assorted smaller parties. 
 
Shariah as a Political Tool 
-------------------------- 
¶6. (SBU)  In a wide-ranging conversation with Surabaya Principal 
Office on September 7,  Nurman Said, a lecturer of at Ushuluddin 
Faculty of State Islamic University of Alauddin, and Wahyuddin, 
a Fullbright grant recipient currently teaching at Makassar 
Islamic State University of Alauddin, criticized the candidates 
for using implementation of Shariah law as a political tool in 
the gubernatorial elections.  They noted that Islamic 
organizations, such as NU, Muhammadiyah and Darul Da'wah wal 
Irsyad (DDI) advocate strengthening the Islamic ummah through 
cultural, social and education programs rather than through the 
implementation of Shariah law. 
 
¶7. (SBU) They described current efforts in the Bulukumba 
district of South Sulawesi to implement Shariah law through 
local bylaws (peraturan daerah -- perda).  The local government 
passed a regulation requiring all Muslim couples to read the 
 
SURABAYA 00000039  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Koran in Arabic before they can be married in Bulukumba.  The 
district is also trying to implement an economic system based on 
"zakat (tithing), infaq (monetary charity), and sadaqah (all 
charity)" and requiring Muslim women, especially government 
employees, to wear the "hijab."  Both Nurman Said and Wahyuddin 
questioned how the local government could enforce these 
regulations beyond the government sector.  The Bulukumba 
government deducts 2.5% from the salaries of government 
employees every month for zakat, but has no method of requiring 
private sector employees to make similar payments.  They 
suggested that absent any tangible enforcement capacity, the 
local government relied on the community's moral sanction to 
force compliance. 
 
Is Implementation Likely? 
-------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Looking at the governor's race, Nurman Said and 
Wahyuddin speculated that while Amin Syam would give every 
appearance of supporting the implementation of Shariah law in 
order to attract KPPSI voters, he would be unlikely to follow 
through.  Abdul Aziz would undoubtedly try to implement Shariah 
law throughout South Sulawesi, although they suggested that 
Abdul Aziz himself did not believe following through on this 
commitment would be easy.   Supported by PAN, the National 
Awakening Party (PKB), and the Indonesian Democratic Party of 
Struggle (PDI-P), Syahrul Yasin would be unlikely to support 
efforts to implement Shariah law.  According to the Chief Editor 
of Fajar, part of the Jawa Pos Group, Governor Amin Syam is the 
front runner in recent polls, but given Golkar's divided 
loyalties, the election's outcome remains unclear. 
MCCLELLAND