Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Public hopes for a democratic election received a new boost on Wednesday, with the government throwing its weight behind a political move to introduce an open election system next year.
State Secretary Hatta Radjasa said the government had proposed an open system to replace the party list system in a draft election bill. The current system has been widely criticized for allowing political parties to name party loyalists to either national or regional legislative councils.
"We lost in the vote, therefore the House of Representatives endorsed the party list method," Hatta said, recounting the deliberation of the election law.
Article 124 of the election law, passed by the House in March, stipulates that candidates who win at least 30 percent of votes automatically secure legislative seats. The remaining seats go to candidates based on party lists.
A group of 60 lawmakers from various House factions recently signed a motion demanding a move to the open election system.
Five major House factions – the Golkar Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Democratic Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) – have also formally requested a review of Article 124.
Golkar and the PDI-P were among those that insisted on maintaining the party list system during deliberation of the election bill.
Hatta said the revision was necessary to provide legal certainty for political parties committed to a democratic election.
In previous elections, all political parties employed a numerical method to determine their legislative members, with the election law allowing their central boards to appoint party loyalists to legislative councils.
Loyalists to party leaders commonly topped lists of legislative candidates, and contested elections in the parties' strongholds to ensure they would secure legislative seats.
Also on Wednesday, youth members from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party joined the call for an open election system and urged the party to immediately issue a guideline on the proposed mechanism.