The isolation of the PKS within the ruling coalition comes at a time of intense in-fighting within the party's senior ranks. In March a co-founder of the party, Yusuf Supendi, reported Mr Ishaaq and the party's secretary-general, Anis Matta, to the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) for allegedly stealing party funds. Mr Matta is alleged to have embezzled Rp10bn (US$1.2m) earmarked for the gubernatorial election in the capital, Jakarta, in 2007, while Mr Ishaaq is alleged to have embezzled donations from the Middle East during the 1999 national poll campaign. Allegations of corruption within the senior echelons of the party follow the conviction on fraud charges of a prominent PKS legislator, Misbakhun, in November 2010.

The internal splits may prevent the PKS leadership from focusing on restoring its standing within the coalition. The scandals may also damage the party's support among the public. The PKS's success to date has been built on a platform of clean governance and strict Islamic morality. The party was a leading proponent of an anti-pornography passed in 2008-which was recently used to imprison a popular singer after he appeared in an Internet sex video-making the PKS seem hypocritical in the light of the allegations against the secretary-general. Unless it can shake off the scandals, along with the growing perception that it is misusing its position within the coalition to further its own narrow interests, the PKS may face a rapid reversal of the gains in popularity it has made in recent years.