T

he Red-and-White Coalition, the opposition bloc at the House of Representatives, is looking to maintain its current alliance formation in the upcoming concurrent regional elections as it is proposing a one-package nomination in the amendment of the Regional Elections Law.

The Golkar Party, which has the largest number of seats in the coalition, has proposed a package nomination, to contain a candidate for regional head and deputies, which is against the law'€™s stipulation that deputies are appointed by the winning candidate.

Golkar spokesman Tantowi Yahya said Tuesday that the party'€™s proposal aimed to ensure that the Red-and-White Coalition remain united as such a stipulation would allow members of the coalition to collaborate in endorsing their hopefuls throughout the elections in 204 regions.

'€œWe have agreed to support each other [in regional elections]. Leaders of the parties are discussing this,'€ Tantowi said.

'€œWe will see which party is especially strong in a particular area and will join hands in nominating its candidates,'€ he added.

In addition to Golkar, the Red-and-White Coalition, which previously endorsed former Army general Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Hatta Rajasa in the presidential election, also includes Prabowo'€™s Gerindra Party, Hatta'€™s National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Prosperous Justice Party.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, which also joined the coalition during the presidential campaign last year, has declined membership since the beginning of the House of Representative'€™s 2014-2019 term although it had teamed up with the Red-and-White Coalition in pushing for several policies that allowed it to secure leading positions of the House'€™s chairmanship as well as all of its internal bodies, including the 11 commissions.

Besides the one-package nomination, Golkar has also demanded scrapping a requirement for candidates to undergo a three-month public review by a special independent committee, as stipulated by Article 38 of the law.

Golkar lawmaker Rambe Kamarulzaman, who currently chairs Commission II overseeing governance, regional autonomy, state apparatus and agrarian affairs, argued that such a stipulation was no longer relevant as the House reinstated the direct election system by recently approving two government regulations in lieu of law (Perppu) regulating the matter.

A Perppu was issued by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono approaching the end of his term to revoke the controversial Law No. 22/2014 that enabled members of local legislative councils (DPRDs) to select governors, mayors and regents, which was endorsed following a controversial move to abstain by Yudhoyono'€™s Democratic Party lawmakers.

Rambe has several times emphasized that a public review of candidates was originally required in order to enable members of DPRDs select the right governors, mayors and regents.

Although Commission II has yet to begin formal talks on the amendment, Golkar'€™s proposal has quickly raised opposition from members of the ruling Great Indonesia Coalition as well as from the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party has defended the new law as flawless.

The party'€™s Saan Mustofa said that allowing selected local heads to pick their own deputies would help the pairs work at their best.

Commission II lawmaker Arif Wibowo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) shared the same opinion, emphasizing that '€œpolitical parties must be allowed to freely form coalitions if needed'€.

'€œThis is part of the reason to oppose the one-package nomination. It will also allow a loose cooperation among political parties as we must nominate candidates of local heads only,'€ Arif said.

Besides the PDI-P, the ruling coalition also includes the National Awakening Party (PKB), the United Development Party (PPP), the NasDem Party and the Hanura Party.