Direct election push losing ground<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The call for a direct presidential election
\nseems to be losing ground as major factions in the People's
\nConsultative Assembly did not address the issue during Thursday's
\nplenary session.<\/p>\n
The Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
\nin delivering its opinion on amendments to the 1945 Constitution,
\nwhich was read by Umar Hadi, made no mention of direct
\npresidential elections. The party consistently has rejected this
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
The Golkar Party faction, which initially indicated its
\nsupport for direct presidential elections, seemed to confirm the
\nsuspicions of many people that it had veered from its original
\nposition.<\/p>\n
Its statements were generally neutral, expressing neither
\nsupport nor rejection of the issue.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar Party considers the idea of direct presidential
\nelections a democratic and healthy idea. The people have the
\nright to choose their leaders. The Golkar Party faction asks
\nother factions to discuss and determine the best way to elect the
\npresident and vice president,\" the faction's speaker, Hajriyanto
\nThohari, said.<\/p>\n
Calls for direct presidential elections received growing
\nsupport from the general public after a group of non-governmental
\norganizations led by the Center for Electoral Reform launched a
\npublic campaign in May.<\/p>\n
While support also seemed to be growing in the Assembly, the
\nproposal is doomed to failure if neither of the major factions in
\nthe Assembly -- PDI Perjuangan with 185 seats and Golkar with 182
\nseat -- throws its full support behind it.<\/p>\n
Amendments need the support of two-thirds of the 700-member
\nAssembly to pass.<\/p>\n
The United Development Party (PPP) faction and the National
\nAwakening Party (PKB) faction already have expressed support for
\ndirect presidential elections.<\/p>\n
Zainuddin Isman of PPP read out on Thursday his faction's
\nsupport for direct presidential elections beginning in 2004.<\/p>\n
\"The PPP faction considers the direct election of the
\npresident and vice president by the people as the best way in the
\nfuture,\" Zainuddin said.<\/p>\n
The PKB faction, in its statement read by Ali Masykur Musa,
\nexpressed similar support.<\/p>\n
\"Our faction supports a pure direct electoral system where the
\npresident and vice president are elected as a single package
\ndirectly by the people,\" Ali Masykur said.<\/p>\n
Speaking to journalists later on Thursday, senior PDI
\nPerjuangan member Jacob Tobing said his party felt the people
\nwere not educated enough or ready for the responsibility of
\ndirectly electing the president.<\/p>\n
\"It is a fact that a majority of the 200 million population
\nare not educated and aren't ready for a direct presidential
\nelection. The nation is starting to learn democracy.\"<\/p>\n
He claimed PDI Perjuangan would support this idea only if its
\ninterests were purely self-serving, because the party would
\nlikely win a direct presidential election.<\/p>\n
\"Megawati is truly a saleable figure as evidenced in the last
\ngeneral election,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also said a direct presidential election could produce an
\nauthoritarian government. \"Under such a system, a president can
\nignore the House of Representatives, saying through the election
\nthey received a full mandate from the people to run their
\ngovernment. This could be counterproductive to the ongoing
\nreforms.\" (dja\/rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/direct-election-push-losing-ground-1447893297",
"image": ""
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