Direct election

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