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Democratic Party in spotlight over walkout plot
Despite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonoâs public statement of regret that the House of Representatives has put an end to the direct elections of local leaders, the public is growing sceptical of his true intentions as more details emerge that indicate the Democratic Party may have engineered the move
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espite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's public statement of regret that the House of Representatives has put an end to the direct elections of local leaders, the public is growing sceptical of his true intentions as more details emerge that indicate the Democratic Party may have engineered the move.
Yudhoyono posted a statement on YouTube over the weekend, saying he was disappointed with the House's decision to pass the law and reiterating his support for direct regional elections.
'Our proposal for a better direct election mechanism failed to gain political support at the House. Neither available option explicitly accommodated our proposal. It was difficult to vote for either of the two,' Yudhoyono said.
The statement has instead caused further embarrassment, with the President being accused of harboring an ulterior motive.
Numerous politicians from political parties have confirmed that a Democratic Party plan to walk out of the crucial vote if its proposal failed had been long in the making.
Many believed the plan was hatched to maintain political deals with the Red-and-White Coalition consisting of parties supporting the losing presidential ticket of Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa, while at the same time, helping to save the image of Yudhoyono, who wanted to maintain his image as a 'true democrat'.
United Development Party (PPP) secretary-general M. Romahurmuziy, whose party is a member of the coalition, claimed 'the scenario was prepared from the very beginning'.
'Yudhoyono's statement of disappointment was part of a political gimmick,' he said on Sunday.
A document believed to be a political agreement between members of the Red-and-White Coalition has been circulating, stating that the coalition had agreed to give the speaker's position in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to the Democratic Party.
Other points in the document also indicate 'distributions' of chair and deputy chair positions on House commissions to members of the coalition.
Democratic Party deputy secretary general Ramadhan Pohan acknowledged that his party had been promised the MPR speaker position but claimed it had nothing to do with the decision to walk out of the plenary session.
'The position is not a 'reward' for our decision [to walk out],' he said.
Hours before the plenary meeting kicked off last Thursday, rumors swirled that the leader of the Golkar Party faction, Setyo Novanto, was ready to pay between Rp 100 million (US$8,316) and Rp 150 million to each of the 148 Democratic Party lawmakers in exchange for their backing to abolish direct elections by abstaining in the vote.
Golkar deputy secretary-general Tantowi Yahya gave his assurances that such an offer was impossible, while Democratic Party deputy chairman Max Sopacua said 'none of us took bribes from anybody'.
Nurhayati Ali Assegaf, the head of the Democratic Party faction at the House, has taken the blame for the decision of the party's lawmakers to walk out during the crucial vote.
Nurhayati, a member of Yudhoyono's inner circle, has acknowledged she ordered all Democratic Party lawmakers attending the plenary session at the House to leave the chamber.
'There is no need to investigate who was the mastermind because I am the one who was responsible for the decision. I have apologized to our chairman [Yudhoyono] as well,' the former aide of First Lady Ani Yudhoyono said.
Yudhoyono had earlier ordered Democratic Party ethics council head Amir Syamsuddin to lead an inquiry into the fiasco.
Six out of 129 Democratic Party lawmakers attending the session refused to obey Nurhayati's order. They sided with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Hanura Party in voting for direct elections.
Previously, Yudhoyono stated that he wanted to maintain direct regional elections but with additional provisions to curb the shortcomings demonstrated during the implementations of the system since 2005.
Nurhayati argued that the party's efforts to pass Yudhoyono's proposal had been blocked by all the other factions. She claimed that last-minute statements made by lawmakers from the PDI-P, the PKB and Hanura to endorse the proposal were 'only aimed at deceiving the public'.
She also appealed to the public not to blame Yudhoyono.
'I've always asked [Yudhoyono] for guidance. But at the time, he was far away in the US, so I had to make a decision that I thought was best,' she said.
Pol-Tracking Institute executive director Hanta Yuda speculated that Yudhoyono's decision to allow the scrapping of direct elections resulted from his strained relationship with PDI-P chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri. 'The 10 additional points proposed by Yudhoyono to improve direct regional elections may have been just an attempt to improve his bargaining position. It could have been something to do with his efforts to secure his post-presidency agenda,' he said.
Some have also speculated that the Red-and-White Coalition offered something more to the Democratic Party in the form of a safety net from legal prosecution for Yudhoyono and his family after he leaves on office Oct. 20.
Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, a researcher at the National Institute of Sciences' (LIPI) Center for Political Studies, said Yudhoyono's support for direct elections was 'not sincere' as it was made at the last minute ,while the bill had been deliberated for over two years.
How direct elections evolved
2004
The administration of then-president Megawati Soekarnoputri passes Law No. 32/2004 on regional administrations, which paves the way for the direct election of governors, mayors and regents.
2005
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issues a government regulation on the implementation of regional direct regional elections.
2005
The first direct regional election is held in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, on June 1.
2007
The Constitutional Court issues a verdict allowing independent candidates to run in the elections.
2008
Law No. 32/2004 is revised to accommodate independent candidates.
2014
The House of Representatives endorses a new law on Sept. 26 which puts an end to direct regional elections, on Sept. 26.
How indirect elections for governors, mayors and regents work
1. Regional legislative councils (DPRDs) form a selection committee (Panlih) consisting of several councilors to short-list potential candidates for local leaders.
2. A separate, independent team set up by DPRDs evaluates the candidates. The team consists of three academics and two local figures.
3. The results of the evaluations are given to the DPRDs.
4. The DPRDs make a final selection of the eligible candidates to officially register them for the election.
5. The registered candidates are required to detail their visions in a DPRD plenary meeting, during which they will be questioned by legislators.
6. Following such question-and-answer sessions, DPRD members will vote for their preferred candidates.
7. Candidates with the majority of votes will be elected regional leaders.
8. Governor-elects will be inaugurated by the president, while regent-elects and mayor-elects will be inaugurated by the home minister.
9. Once inaugurated, governors will propose a maximum of three names for their deputies to the president for approval, while proposals from regents and mayors are submitted to the home minister.
The entire election process takes five months.
Other requirements:
* Regional elections take place simultaneously once every five years.
* A political faction or a coalition of political parties accumulating 20 percent of seats at a DPRD or 25 percent of the popular vote in an electoral area is eligible to nominate three candidates.
* Independent gubernatorial candidates can enter a race only if they are endorsed by at least 3 percent of the total population in an electoral area with a population of more than 12 million; 4 percent in an area with a population between 6 and 12 million; 5 percent in an area with a population between 2 and 6 million; and 6.5 percent in an area with a population of less than 2 million.
* Independent candidates to compete for regental and mayoral positions must secure at least 6.5 percent of the vote in an area with a population of 250,000; 5 percent in an area of 500,000 people; 4 percent in an area with a population between 500,000 and 1 million; and 3 percent in an area with a population of more than 1 million.
* Provincial DPRDs are authorized to propose the appointment or dismissal of a governor and/or deputy governor to the president via the home minister for approval.
* Regency and municipal DPRDs are authorized to propose the appointment or dismissal of regents and/or deputy regents as well as mayors and/or deputy mayors to the home minister through governors for approval.
