Direct election

From Rakyat Merdeka

The idea of implementing a direct presidential election system is currently being spotlighted by the mass media. Perhaps people have the question: how should a direct presidential election work?

Some people say that if a presidential candidate wins over 50 percent of the votes, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) will only officially confirm the candidate as the winner and swear in the person to the presidency.

With the multiparty system in operation in Indonesia today, it is difficult for a presidential candidate to win over 50 percent of the ballots, especially with the possible emergence of new political parties before general elections.

Actually, every party that fulfills the requirements for participating in the general election has the right to nominate its candidate. Every candidate should offer his program in the electoral campaign.

The presidential candidate of the political party that ranks first in winning votes has the right to occupy the presidency and the MPR only swears in the person to this top position. The nominee of the second-winning party has the right to occupy the post of vice president.

Thus it is actually not necessary to hold a separate election to determine the president and the vice president, thus avoiding a waste of energy and the opportunity to seek coalitions and for money politics to flourish.

Legal reforms should be implemented to uphold legal supremacy, especially in taking stern legal measures against those involved in corruption and cleansing the legal sector of corrupt lawyers.

AGUNG SUTOPO

Jakarta