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House endorses controversial Village Law revision
Critics say legislation a horse trade for rural votes.
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Members of the All-Indonesia Village Administration Association (Apdesi) holds a protest in front of the legislative complext in Jakarta on Dec. 5, 2023. They demand the House of Representatives to revise the 2014 VIllage Law, urging the lawmakers to increase the maximum village head term from six to nine years. (Antara/Aditya Pradana Putra)
T
he House of Representatives Legislation Body (Baleg) and the Home Ministry have agreed to endorse controversial revisions to the 2014 Law on Village Administrations, which includes extending the term of office for a village head from six to eight years.
The decision follows a series of rallies at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta that thousands of village heads grouped in the All-Indonesia Village Administration Association (Apdesi) have held since December 2023.
All nine House factions agreed on Monday to bring the proposed Village Law revision to a plenary meeting for final deliberation in the next sitting period beginning in early March.
The legislature entered recess on Wednesday, exactly a week before the general election on Feb. 14.
House Speaker Puan Maharani of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said lawmakers remained committed to finish deliberating the Village Law revision after the simultaneous legislative and presidential elections.
"I urge all lawmakers to inform the village heads in their own electoral districts about our commitment, so the coming elections are carried out well and in a peaceful manner," Puan said on Tuesday while wrapping up the House session.
Village heads threatened earlier to boycott the general election if the House did not pass the revision.
