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Perti’s decision to form its own political   until 1955 was its sole representative in   Another reason for the PSII departure   a resolution of the party’s national   The building of the
 party, to withdraw from MIT and to turn   parliament, Haji Siradjuddin Abbas. 41  from the Masjumi and to re-establish   conference in Banjarnegara, West Java   Central Board of PKS
 into the Masjumi’s Sumatra Branch   itself as a party was because the PSII   which was attended by 20 branches.  (the Prosperous Justice
 was partly due to its uneasiness with   PSII  leaders, especially Wondoamiseno   However, after leaving the Masjumi   Party)
 the dominating modernists within   The Indonesian Islamic Union Party   and Arudji Kartawinata did not get   in 1947, the PSII central leadership   Source: Directorate of
 Masjumi. Perti wanted to develop   (Partai Sarekat Islam Indonesia, PSII)   important positions in the Masjumi   clarified to Muslims that it did not have   History and Cultural
 its own political party to fight for   is actually the oldest party in Indonesia,   while they had been prominent figures   any conflict with the Masjumi and that   Values, Ministry of
 the aspirations and interest of the   the periode before Independence. In   their connection with the Sjahrir Cabinet   Education and Culture
 traditionalists in Sumatra. This step   because it was a conversion of the   the MIAI, Wondoamiseno had even   was solely the party’s responsibility   of the Republic of
 was made so that the teachings   SI that was established as early as   held the position as the head of the   to the state. It remained committed   Indonesia.
 of traditionalist Islam could be   1911. As discussed above, before   secretariat. In addition, PSII figures   to ensuring the sustainability of the
 maintained and further develop. As   independence the SI had experienced   generally disagreed with the Masjumi’s   Indonesian state and the unity of,
 a result, there were heated conflict   ups and downs resulting in a decrease   unstable attitude in the negotions   especially Indonesian, Muslims. It was
 between the modernists and the   in its activities, including a declining role   with the Dutch in the Sjahrir Cabinet.   disbanded in 1960 due to an acute
 traditionalists in Sumatra at the time   of the PSII. After independence, the   Before Independence, the PSII had   disagreement among its leaders. During
 that affected the political choices of   PSII revived its political activities. The   been non-cooperative with the Dutch   the formation of the Sastroamidjojo
 the Muslims.  PSII’s presence in national politics after   colonial government and of course,
 Independence is interesting especially          Cabinet in 1953, the party sacked
 In terms of political thought, Perti   because Muslim leaders had agreed   it condemned the Masjumi’s lenient   Abikusno and replaced him with Arudji
 was a fairly flexible Islamic party and   that the Masjumi was to be the single   attitude towards the Dutch demands   Kartawinata - Anwar Tjokroaminoto.
 it cooperated with nationalist and   in the negotiations. The PSII had   However, Abikusno resisted and
 Communist factions. Unlike the Javanese   political vehicle for Muslim aspirations.   seen in Minangkabau that there was   established a counter PSII that was
 42
 traditionalists, who kept their distance   As Noer indicated,  the emergence of   much disagreement among high-  widely supported by PSII’s South
 from the Communists and who tended to   the SI was motivated by the solicitation   ranking regional Masjumi members   Sumatra branch. The reason for his
 be hostile towards them, Perti displayed   of Amir Syarifuddin who had been   because of the strong domination   dismissal was that Abikusno had not
 a different political behavior. During   appointed by the President to form a   of the modernist group, especially   consulted the party leadership when he
 the period of Guided Democracy, Perti   new cabinet in 1947. Amir Syarifuddin   Permi and the Muhammadiyah.   became involved in the Sastroamidjojo
 was ready to cooperate in activities   wanted to include Islamists in his   Considering that PSII leaders were not   Cabinet. The dual leadership of
 initiated by the PKI and the communists   cabinet, but the Masjumi rejected his   proportionally included in the Masjumi   Abikusno and Arudji-Anwar could not
 in China and the Soviet Union. Only   offer. The PSII represented the Islamic   leadership, most PSII branches   be reconciled and brought about the
 Pertisent emissaries to the World Peace   group as a political party and later   encouraged the PSII central leadership   party’s decline, despite the fact that the
 Conference for Asia and the Pacific in   joined Amir Syarifuddin’s cabinet.  to launch its own political party. The   PSII had strong bases in Java, South
 Beijing in October 1952. One well known   41. Noer. Partai-Partai Islam ...,p. 75.  desire to establish a political party   Sumatra, Lampung, North Sulawesi
 Perti leader who continued to serve   42. Noer. Partai-Partai Islam ...,p. 76.  was formalized on July 13, 1947 in   and Aceh. In the time to come, the PSII



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