Direct vote suggested for local officials

Direct vote suggested for local officials

JAKARTA (JP): A law observer suggested on Friday that the
government introduce a direct voting system in the election for
local officials such as regents, mayors and governors to prevent
the practice of money politics.

"In a direct vote, people directly choose their favorite
candidates and, therefore, eliminate chances of candidates
bribing councilors in a bid to win the election," Bambang
Widjoyanto, chairman of the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal
Aid Institute (YLBHI), said.

He was commenting on the alleged occurrence of money politics
in the election of Depok mayor last Tuesday, which led to rage on
the part of supporters of another candidate who lost the vote.

Under the current system in most provinces across the country,
except Jakarta, candidates for the posts of mayor, regent and
governor are screened and elected by local councilors.

In Jakarta, mayors at the five mayoralties are appointed
directly by the governor, who is elected by local councilors.

However, Bambang, who is also a member of the ethical board of
the Indonesian Corruption Watch, acknowledged that many people
might not be ready to participate in the direct system.

He was wary that less-educated people, who make up most of
country's population, would choose incompetent candidates for the
important positions.

But he insisted that the direct system was the only viable
option to meet people's aspirations, compared to the current
system which is considered disadvantageous to the public.

"The direct system will allow people to vote for officials
they consider able to fight for their interests," he said.

"Allegations of money politics are rampant in some areas,
including Bali, Padang and Surabaya. If those cases truly
occurred, this means the councilors betrayed their people, people
who chose them during the general election," he said.

He said immediate action must be taken to stop the tendency,
while people have to recognize and help establish the strong
grounds for introducing the direct voting system.

"There should be strong supervision of councilors by the
people to prevent money politics occurring again in future," he
said. (asa)