GOVT VOWS FOR RETURN OF DIRECT REGIONAL HEAD ELECTIONS by Fardah

   Jakarta, Sept 30, 2014 (Antara) - Some parties have challenged a decision of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) to endorse  a bill on indirect regional head elections, taken in a voting.
         After a long debate and voting, the DPR passed a bill on regional head elections which stipulates that regional heads - governors, mayors and district heads, are elected by the Regional Legislative Assembly (DPRD), or indirect elections, in contrast to direct elections by the public that had been held over the past decade.
         "The result of voting showed that 135 DPR members voted for direct regional head election and 361 voted against it," Deputy Chairman of the DPR Priyo Budi Santoso who chaired the prolonged plenary session, said at the wee hours on September 26, 2014.

         Political parties that supported the bill on indirect elections included Gerindra, Golkar, PKS, PPP and PAN that are known as Red And White Coalition. While, PDIP, PKB and Hanura wanted to maintain direct regional head elections.
         The Democratic Party (PD), which has the largest faction in the parliament and thus commanded a decisive votes, decided to walk out and abstain from the vote. The ruling party earlier announced that it supported direct elections to stay, but with some improvements. 
    The endorsement of the law on indirect elections has triggered strong reactions from those insisting on direct elections.
         "I will apply for a judicial review on the Election Law. On Monday (September 29), I will register the request in the Constitutional Court (MK)," Muhammad Andi Asrun, a member of the legal team of the applicants, stated in Jakarta, Sept. 26. 
    Asrun pointed out that he represented the applicants' team, which comprised 17 daily laborers, pollsters, governors, and members of the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD).
         "Indirect regional head elections betrayed the people's rights to choose their regional leaders in a democratic manner," he noted.
         Even President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is concurrently chairman of the Democratic Party (PD), expressed disappointment over the result.
         "I am disappointed with the result of the political process in the DPR, even though I respect it as a democratic process, but once again, I am disappointed with the process and result," Yudhoyono stated in a press conference while visiting Washington DC, the US. 
    He, however, said by opting for the indirect regional head election system, Indonesia's democracy should not become regressive.
         "I personally do not want to see any regression. During my presidency,  the president, the vice-president, the district heads, the mayors and the  governors were directly elected by the people. That's my preference and I do not change," Yudhoyono said.
         He added that Indonesia's democracy had made great progress over the last decade, hence it cannot take a step backward by opting for the indirect elections. 
    "Therefore, the political process in Parliament, as I said, was a regression, and I have been fighting politically to make our democracy progressive and retain the direct elections. Frankly speaking, there should be a serious improvement in the law and its implementation. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party's proposal was rejected by all factions, both the Red and White Coalition, as well as the PDI and its coalition," the President said.
         "Despite this new development, the Democratic Party will be consistent with its stance -- that the best regional head election system is direct elections -- with 10 suggestions for improvement.   
    He said he expected that the House had not reached the decision by voting but by lobbying, if at all someone had supported the option proposed by the Democratic Party. 
    "With this result, I have to say to the Indonesian people that the Democrat party will file a law suit. We will consider whether to appeal in the Supreme Court or the Constitutional Court (MK)," he affirmed.
         Upon arrival in Jakarta on September 30, 2014, Yudhoyono held a meeting to discuss the new law. After the meeting, he told the press that he had been informed by the head of the MK that he did not have the authority to block the legislation, but he would attempt to overturn it.
         "We will strive to save direct regional head elections and there is a plan B that we will finalize later today. Our interest is only that our democracy remains for our people," Yudhoyono stated.   
    Yudhoyono said there was no personal interest or any other interest related to the government's effort to fight for the direct election system.     
    Meanwhile, the chairperson of the ruling Democrat Party faction in the DPR, Nurhayati Ali Assegaf, said Yudhoyono called on his party's members to fight for direct regional election system.
         "He has clearly directed his party members for a full-fledged fight for direct election system with 10 main improvements," she remarked at the Democrat Party headquarters in Jakarta, on Sept. 29.
         Nurhayati affirmed that the Democratic Party did not veer from its stance and did not seek posts with regard to its decision to stage a walk-out during the vote that finally paved the way for the passage of the bill. 
    She stated that the 10 points of improvement were presented at the plenary meeting with the objective of improving the implementation of direct election.
         She claimed that the decision to walk out during the plenary session was at her own initiative, and was not following an order of Yudhoyono.  "I had never received a text message from him or even communicated with SBY (Yudhoyono) with regard to the decision," she added.
         In response to the reactions against the new law, Chairman of the Constitutional Court (MK) Hamdan Zoelva said the court is ready to process the judicial review of the law.
         "We are ready to process all the appeals made to the Constitutional Court," he said recently.
         Earlier Zoelva confirmed that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had called him to talk about the new law.
         "Yes, it is true that yesterday evening (Sunday, Sept 28), Mr. President called me," He told the press  on Sept. 29.
         Hamdan said that during the phone conversation, President Yudhoyono expressed his disappointment over the result of the DPR`s voting that has endorsed the Regional Elections Law under which the regional heads will be elected by the Regional Legislative Assembly.
         He said he informed Yudhoyono that in accordance with the Constitution of Indonesia, the law was drafted by the DPR with the prior acceptance of the government.
         If a law was ratified by the DPR`s plenary meeting, it would be automatically applied with or without the President`s signature, he noted.
         The Constitutional Court has received at least three applications for judicial review on the Regional Head Election Law.
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