Beware of Smuggled Clauses, Benny Harman Urges Strict Scrutiny of Election Bill

Deputy Chairman of the Democratic Party, Benny K. Harman, hopes that the civil coalition will continue to oversee the deliberation process of the Election Bill, the draft of which is still being compiled by Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR). Benny urged the coalition not to place complete trust in the DPR during the bill’s discussion. He stated that the public must be wary of the potential for clauses to be smuggled in. “If it is left unattended, a smuggled clause will surely appear. Its origin will be unclear; it will suddenly emerge and be passed. By the time we wake up, it will be too late for us,” Benny said during a discussion forum at UIN Jakarta on Tuesday. He admitted to worrying about a hidden agenda in the Election Bill deliberation process, particularly the potential for the bill to be discussed suddenly to avoid a judicial review by the Constitutional Court (MK). “So that there is no reason, no time, and no opportunity for the people to file a judicial review, and then the MK has no time to examine and annul it,” he said. Benny, who is also a member of Commission III of the DPR, expressed unease that the civil society coalition seemed to be asleep. He said the public must wake from their deep slumber, as a danger is lurking in the election rules through the Election Bill. “I tell my friends in civil society, do not sleep too soundly. There is a danger stalking us, namely the uprooting of the people’s sovereignty in this election law,” he said. Benny had previously raised the issue of a scenario to limit presidential and vice-presidential nominations in the Election Bill through an opinion piece in a national newspaper on 21 June. According to him, if the scenario is true, a presidential and vice-presidential pair could only be nominated by a minimum of three parliamentary parties. The scenario has drawn criticism because it could potentially contradict the Constitutional Court’s ruling that abolished the presidential nomination threshold. “There is a strong indication that the upcoming election regulation is deliberately designed to limit the people’s right to choose the highest leaders in this country,” Benny wrote. “One of the most dangerous discourses being floated is regarding the limitation of presidential and vice-presidential candidates, where only candidate pairs supported by at least three parliamentary political parties will be allowed to contest,” he added.