Prominent names will take on lawmaking duties

The next batch of lawmakers in the House of Representatives is filled with the names of ministers and well-known singers and actors, as the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Saturday announced the composition of the legislature, with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Golkar Party coming out on top.

The ruling PDI-P got 128 seats in the House by winning 19.3 percent of the vote and is thus entitled to the speakership post as per the 2018 Legislative Institutions Law.

The most voted-for candidate in the House is Puan Maharani, the current coordinating human development and culture minister and daughter of the party's patron Megawati Soekarnoputri, as she won 404,034 votes in the Central Java electoral district.

Former West Kalimantan governor Cornelis came second to first president Sukarno's granddaughter. Banten's former governor and actor Rano Karno and senior politician I Made Urip came in fifth and seventh respectively.

Despite not being among the 10 most-voted for candidates, current Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly and presidential spokesperson Johan Budi made it to the House.

Other members of the Cabinet failed to make the cut, namely Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri, Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi, Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Eko Putro Sandjojo, who are supported by the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin supported by the United Development Party (PPP).

Following on others' success, some celebrities also got a seat in the House through the PDI-P, namely singer Krisdayanti, actress Rieke Diah Pitaloka, former TV presenter Nico BP Siahaan and the country’s chess grandmaster Utut Adianto, who is currently serving as one of the PDI-P's deputy secretary-generals.

Singer Harvey Malaiholo and Katon Bagaskara, as well as actress Kirana Larasati, along with seven other celebrities, did not make it to the legislature.

The Golkar Party, which came third by obtaining 12.31 percent of the vote, secured 85 seats or the second-largest number of seats in the House thanks to the Sainte-Laguë method. Unlike the PDI-P, its candidates were not among the 10 most-voted for candidates.

However, some former regional leaders such as former Purwakarta regent Dedi Mulyadi, former Jambi governor Hasan Basri and former South Sumatra governor Alex Noerdin, got more votes compared with other candidates.

Actress Nurul Arifin and former news anchor Meutya Hafid, as incumbents, also managed to retain their seats in the House.

Having secured 12.57 percent of the vote, the Gerindra Party obtained 78 seats in the House. Two of its candidates, former Bangkalan regent M. Imron Amin and current House Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon, came ninth and 10th in the top-10 list.

The former energy and mineral resources minister who raced for the Central Java governorship in 2018, Sudirman Said, failed to get a seat in the April election after a fierce battle in Central Java, the PDI-P's main stronghold.

Meanwhile, actress Rachel Maryam Sayidina, as an incumbent lawmaker, will sit again in the House, unlike the other celebrities backed by the party, such as actor Jamal Mirdad and Fauzi Baadila, and the now imprisoned musician Ahmad Dhani and his wife, singer Mulan Jameela.

Gerindra has decided not to appoint the latter despite her winning a lawsuit in the South Jakarta District Court against the party.

The NasDem Party pipped the PKB by obtaining 59 seats, sitting in fifth place with 9.05 percent of the vote.

Former Gerindra lawmaker Robert Rouw, who jumped ship to the NasDems, came out as the strongest candidate in the party by winning 274,426 votes in Papua.

Former Probolinggo regent Hasan Aminudin and former Trade Ministry staffer Eva Yuliana were among the top five in the party.

Outside of the top-10 list was the son of NasDem leader Surya Paloh, Prananda Surya Paloh, who will also be sitting in the House.

TV presenter Muhammad Farhan was the only NasDem celebrity that made it to the House, while 24 others, including model-turned-actress Manohara Odelia Pinot and Olla Ramlan missed out.

Getting only one seat fewer than the NasDems, the PKB managed to secure 58 seats despite getting a larger number of votes. Its chairman Muhamimin “Cak Imin” Iskandar won only the fourth largest number of votes in the party, lagging behind his junior Jazilul Fawaid who won the most votes.

Actor Tommy Kurniawan and former model Arzetty Bilbina will also be among the next batch of House lawmakers, ahead of the PKB’s five other celebrities.

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