50% of vote must for majority

From Pikiran Rakyat

I would like to comment on an article titled Elite dan Rakyat (The elite and the people) in Pikiran Rakyat on June 20, 1999.

The fourth paragraph reads: "The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI Perjuangan) victory in the 1999 general election is undeniable and is proof to what extent the Indonesian people want Megawati to be Indonesia's fourth president."

In my opinion, this statement could lead to an erroneous public opinion. Provisional vote count results from the General Elections Commission in fact show that PDI Perjuangan won more votes than the other political parties, with 32 percent of the vote. However, it has not earned 51 percent of the vote, the minimum number to be called the majority. The use of the word majority for 32 percent of the vote is not correct.

We must explain to the people that the June 7, 1999, general election was not a presidential election, but an election of legislative candidates. According to the 1945 Constitution, the president must be elected by the People's Consultative Assembly.

If the June 7 elections were a presidential election, and suppose Megawati obtained 32 percent of the vote, Habibie 23 percent, Gus Dur 19 percent, Hamzah Haz 17 percent and Amien Rais 11 percent, it could be concluded that the majority of the Indonesian people wanted Megawati to be the country's fourth president.

A direct presidential election by the people has been recently proposed by Habibie, but has not become law.

YUSUF ISKANDAR

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