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Yudhoyono turns tables on direct election saga
Support from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for the direct-election of local heads is expected to help the campaign to maintain the 2004 law on regional elections, with the 150 lawmakers from his Democratic Party likely to toe the party line in defending the original regulation
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upport from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for the direct-election of local heads is expected to help the campaign to maintain the 2004 law on regional elections, with the 150 lawmakers from his Democratic Party likely to toe the party line in defending the original regulation.
In a Cabinet meeting on Sunday the President said he was working to find the best solution on whether to reinstate the representative-based election of regional heads ' a proposal backed by the Red-and-White Coalition, of which his Democratic Party is a member.
Yudhoyono said that in determining the best election system for the country, everyone should refer to the spirit of democracy and the reform movement.
Yudhoyono later expressed his support for the direct-election system in a video uploaded to the party's Youtube account, Suara Demokrat, on late Sunday.
'If we go back to the choice that we are the fruit of ongoing reform, the direct election of regional leaders must be protected and maintained,' he said.
Yudhoyono later urged president-elect Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo to also express his views on the issue.
'The people can ask him directly because the law will be applied in the future, including during Jokowi's administration,' he said.
Six political factions in the Red-and-White Coalition control 420 of the 560 of seats in the House of Representatives, which will decide the fate of direct elections in a plenary session on Sept. 25.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Hanura Party, which belong to Jokowi's Gotong Royong Coalition, are desperately trying to maintain direct elections with the support of their 140 seats.
If Yudhoyono managed to mobilize support from the lawmakers from his party, the Gotong Royong Coalition will get a total of 290 seats, outnumbering the Red-and-White Coalition's 270 seats.
Responding to Yudhoyono's remark, Jokowi urged the President to withdraw the plan to amend the direct election law.
'If he can, just abort the plan, or at least delay the deliberations,' he said at City Hall in Jakarta on Monday.
Jokowi acknowledged the concerns that the direct elections were still marred by some problems, but he was optimistic that the nation would resolve those issues in time.
'Election fraud must be eliminated; money politics must be dealt with. And these efforts would certainly discourage people from committing election violations,' he said.
However, separately, Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi insisted that the government would press ahead with its plan.
Gamwan said that Yudhoyono's remarks on the election system reflect his stance as a party executive and not as a President.
'It is a stance of the Democratic Party. We should be able to tell the difference,' Gamawan told reporters on Monday.
Gamawan said that for the time being the government would wait for the deliberation process to be completed in the House.
When asked about the Democratic Party's intention to change course, the party's deputy secretary Ramadhan Pohan said that party members would wait for Yudhoyono's directive.
'[We are considering] a lot of options. The party's stance has been to maintain the balance. Our choice will always be in line with ethics, regulations and conscience,' he said on Monday.
