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Party lines blur in local election bill
When it comes to the controversial plan to abolish direct regional elections, political factions have no clear-cut position on whether or not to make the drastic decision
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hen it comes to the controversial plan to abolish direct regional elections, political factions have no clear-cut position on whether or not to make the drastic decision.
The Red-and-White Coalition, which nominated losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Hatta Rajasa, has been the subject of criticism for its insistence on returning to the system whereby local heads are elected by regional legislative councils (DPRDs), prompting suspicion that the coalition, which secured a majority of seats in the legislative body, aims to control power in local governments.
However, members of the coalition, as well as supporters of the rival Gotong Royong Coalition led by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) were split over other crucial stipulations in the controversial bill, including the issue of requirements for candidates of regional leaders and their deputies.
Among the nine political factions at the House of Representatives, the PDI-P and the Golkar Party proposed a ban on family members of incumbent local heads running in local elections, a move they said was aimed at putting an end to political dynasties.
Unlike the stance of other members of the Red-and-White Coalition, Golkar shared the view of 'rival' PDI-P in opposing nepotism and put an emphasis on the capacity and acceptability of candidates in local elections.
Such stipulations are included in the two different versions of the draft bill; article 7 and article 165 of the draft on direct regional elections; and in article 13 and article 50 of the draft on regional elections by DPRDs.
Each of the articles have similar wordings that 'gubernatorial and regent candidates must not have family ties with incumbents' and 'candidates for deputy governor/regent/mayor must not have family ties with regional leaders'.
Meanwhile, the remaining members of the Red-and-White Coalition ' the Gerindra Party, the Democratic Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the United Development Party (PPP) ' and those of the Gotong Royong Coalition ' the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Hanura Party ' do not want the ban included in the bill.
Members of the two coalitions have also taken different positions on the procedure to nominate deputies for local heads.
Unlike the other members of its coalition, the PDI-P has teamed up with Golkar, the Democratic Party, PAN and the PPP in opposing a one-package nomination, which would allow candidates for local heads to pick their own deputies.
However, the Democratic Party wants the bill to give the mandate to the home minister to pick candidates for deputy governor positions, while Golkar wants candidates for deputy governor to be selected by provincial legislative councils.
Meanwhile, Gerindra, Hanura, the PKB and the PKS proposed that elected local heads be allowed to freely appoint their own deputies.
Despite their different stances regarding key articles in the bill, all political parties agree that the bill should mandate simultaneous elections.
Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) executive director Titi Anggraini said that in the draft bill, lawmakers appeared not to have thought through the mechanism of the indirect-election system.
'In the draft of the bill, the concept of screening by the public is not clear. The accountability and the measurements are also not clear,' she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, referring to a stipulation that political candidates needed to undergo screening.
Meanwhile, the People's Voters Education Network (JPPR) said laws on elections were rife with inconsistencies and were urgently in need of codification.
'There is indeed a need to unify the laws. Actually it is an urgent matter,' Muhammad Afifuddin of the JPRR said.
By unifying the laws, the government could aim for simultaneous elections to elect presidents, vice presidents, lawmakers and regional heads to avoid conflicts of interest among regional heads during presidential elections.
