Jakarta – The bill that would eliminate direct elections of local leaders, which the House of Representatives is set to pass this week, would not be a setback for democracy, Golkar Party politician Nurul Arifin said on Monday.

Nurul, who is a member of Commission II, which drafted the controversial bill, said the lawmakers involved only had good intentions. She stressed that the law would save the state budget, end money politics at the local level and prevent conflict in the regions.

Also, she said that trusted organizations such as the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) would be monitoring the selection of district heads and mayors by regional legislative councils (DPRD).

Critics say Nurul's commission is rushing through the bill before the end of the current House term, next month. "Every policy always has its pro and cons," Nurul said on Monday, adding that the bill also calls for candidates to undergo a public competency test in front of the DPRD.

Abdul Hakam Naja, another Golkar politician from Commission II, said that the bill would prevent election disputes. As the selection process would involve only local lawmakers and not an entire district or city, Abdul said, it would be much easier to make sure nobody is trying to tamper with results.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/golkar-local-elections-bill-setback-democracy/