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s the government is mulling over the electoral system that will be implemented in the 2019 elections, it is encouraged to keep the current open-list system that allows voters to directly choose candidates instead of political parties.

The system, which was implemented in 2009 and 2014 legislative elections, was recently challenged by major political parties such as the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Golkar Party, which, in order to regain control over candidates that represent them in the legislature, has called on the return of the closed-list system.

The closed system was used during the 1999 and 2004 elections.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) said it was up to the government to decide its preferred system, but the open system requires stronger political party organization.

KPU commissioner Hasyim Asy’ari said the country had to improve the candidate recruitment mechanism of political parties, for instance, by introducing what he called as a preliminary selection of candidates that involves public participation.

“In a sense that a recruitment process must not only cede to parties’ internal regulations, but the laws should also regulate the details of such democratic and transparent recruitment,” he said on Monday after being inaugurated as a new KPU member to replace Husni Kamil Manik, who had passed away last month.

Election experts like Veri Junaidi and Titi Anggraini called on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo not to second doubt the existing open-list system since the closed-list system encouraged oligarchy within political parties.

“What is important is to ensure improvements are done regularly and that can be done if the [open-list] system is maintained,” Veri said.

The current open-list system is not without criticisms. The general lack of political awareness and the lack of respected figures from political parties have been reported to trigger transactional or “money politics”, which legislative candidates had to disburse ahead of elections.

The system has also given the chance for celebrities and entertainment figures to register as candidates, with some probability of winning because of their established popularity among voters.

The voting system in legislative elections undergoes protracted debate in the country each time the government and the House of Representatives are about to revise elections laws.

The government, which is expected to send the draft bills for revision to the House this month, has yet to decide which system it will support.

There is also an option to introduce a combination of the two systems, as part of the three policy options that have been proposed by Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo who leads the drafting of the amendments.

Tjahjo said the decision over the election system was in the hands of a limited Cabinet meeting to be led by the President in the near future, before the government brought the bills for deliberation to the House.

“The only remaining [undecided issue] is the closed or open-list electoral system,” he said. “[But], everything is on track with our target of September [for submitting the proposed revisions to the House].”

KPU chairman Juri Ardiantoro said the KPU would respect any decision the government and the House made, as he refrained from commenting on which system would be better for the country.