Direct Regional Elections: A People's Right Almost Forgotten

Every five years, we cast our ballots to directly elect our regional leaders—governors, regents, or mayors. For many of us born after the reform era, this moment feels ordinary, as if it has always been this way. In fact, the right to directly choose our local leaders is the fruit of a long struggle to break free from a time when heads of regions were appointed from above, far removed from the voice of the common people. Lately, this right, which we had assumed was set in stone, has been called into question once more. Several political parties have floated the idea of returning the election of regional heads to the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD), citing the exorbitant cost of direct election campaigns and the rampant practice of money politics on the ground. These reasons are not entirely without merit. Who is not disturbed by news of candidates spending billions of rupiah on campaigns, or by stories of envelopes being distributed on the eve of voting day? But to answer these problems by seizing the right to vote from the people is like fixing a leaky roof by burning the house down. Fortunately, at the end of June, the Constitutional Court reminded us through a ruling that regional elections must continue to be held directly by the people. Although the petition filed by a group of students in this case was technically not accepted, the judges’ considerations firmly upheld this principle by referring to a series of previous rulings. For ordinary citizens who go to the polling stations every regional election, this ruling is crucial to understand, not just for law students or political observers. Because what is at stake is simple: who has the right to determine our local leaders—us, the people, or a handful of individuals sitting in the council? It is true that the cost of direct democracy is high, and dirty practices like money politics must be relentlessly eradicated. But the solution is not to distance the people from the ballot box; it is to fix the system, limit campaign spending, tighten the supervision of political funds, and educate the public not to be easily tempted by petty cash during elections. Handing the right to vote back to the political elite in the DPRD will only make regional heads feel indebted to parties and factions, rather than to the citizens they are supposed to serve. As a citizen who wants my region led by a person of our own choosing, I believe this Constitutional Court ruling is something we must all safeguard together. We must not let the discourse of returning regional elections to the DPRD continue to roll on in closed rooms without us, the people who hold the right to vote, having our say. Our local democracy is indeed not yet perfect, but the way to fix it is not to abandon it, but to continue nurturing it.