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Direct elections under threat as govt, parties consider removing people's right to vote for local leaders
The government and several parties in the ruling coalition are toying with the idea of abolishing direct regional elections and giving regional legislative councils (DPRD) the authority to elect regional heads, citing concerns over money politics.
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A man dips his finger in indelible ink after casting his ballot in the 2018 Bali gubernatorial election in East Denpasar during the simultaneous regional elections. (JP/Anggara Mahendra)
W
hile direct regional elections have been championed as being vital to Indonesia’s democracy following the fall of the New Order regime, the government has considered taking voting power away from the public on the grounds that local elections have too many negative consequences, a move welcomed by several parties in the ruling coalition.
Home Minister Tito Karnavian said the government planned to evaluate whether direct regional elections, held since 2005, should be continued.
“I’m questioning whether the current regional election system is still relevant after 20 years. It has many benefits in terms of democratic participation, but there are also disadvantages," Tito told journalists at the House of Representatives compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta, recently.
Tito added that the current system was prone to money politics, saying it was not a surprise that many regional heads had been arrested for corruption, as the “political dowry” required to run as a regional head candidate could total as much as Rp 30 billion (US$2.14 million).
"There is the potential that almost all regional heads could be involved in corruption. Imagine if they spend Rp 30 billion to 50 billion [to run in a regional election]. While their salary is only, let's say Rp 200 million per month [...] It’s a loss right?” the former National Police chief said.
The government will review the negative and positive impacts of the direct regional election system by creating a democracy index of each region. Tito also argued that residents in remote areas did not care about the programs regional heads campaigned on.
Akmal Malik Piliang, the ministry’s regional autonomy director general, said the ministry would propose a diversified regional election system. One option, he said, was to give regional legislative councils (DPRD) in certain areas the authority to elect regional heads.
