Expert Reveals Regional Elections Without Deputies Could Violate Constitution
The discourse on regional head elections without a deputy, which has surfaced in the House of Representatives (DPR), is considered not a solution to the ‘spare tyre’ culture and the disproportionate division of tasks between regional heads and their deputies. A researcher from the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), Iqbal Kholidin, opined that the discourse must be scrutinised because it poses serious risks to the principles of democracy and regional governance.
Juridically, Iqbal stated, the deputy regional head is a political position referring to Article 18, paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution. It stipulates that the deputy regional head must be appointed democratically. ‘The phrasing states that regional heads are elected democratically, and the construction in Law Number 10 of 2016 concerning Regional Elections was designed from the outset through a mechanism where a pair of candidates for regional head and deputy regional head are elected together by the people,’ Iqbal said when contacted on Monday (10/8).
Politically, the appointment of a deputy regional head by the elected regional head would eliminate the public’s opportunity to assess their prospective leaders comprehensively. Secondly, Iqbal assessed that the discourse is not aligned with the theoretical aspects of democratic leadership. He referred to Robert Dahl’s theory in his book ‘Polyarchy’, which states that the principles of democracy are citizen participation and the accountability of rulers. ‘Executive leadership is born from the direct mandate of voters and possesses stronger legitimacy and public accountability compared to officials resulting from appointments,’ he said.
According to Iqbal, the appointment of a deputy regional head by the elected regional head would only shift the practice of political transactionalism from before the election to after the election. This transactional practice would also remain centralised within political parties. He noted that the ‘spare tyre’ culture, which leads to disputes between regional heads and their deputies, is mostly caused by elite compromises. ‘So, if the deputy is appointed after the regional head is elected, the arena for political transactions does not disappear; its potential merely shifts to post-election,’ Iqbal explained.
Instead of eliminating the election of deputy regional heads, Iqbal proposed a clear division of duties agreement from the outset to avoid potential splits and the ‘spare tyre’ culture. ‘So far, the disharmony often arises because the regulation of the deputy regional head’s authority in the Regional Government Law is not detailed enough,’ Iqbal said. ‘It is insufficient to divide the portions of policy implementation, coordination, and internal government oversight. It still seems like a spare tyre.’
During a meeting of the DPR’s Commission II with the Ministry of Home Affairs last week, Muhammad Khozin, a member of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction, highlighted the existence of deputy regional heads who often only serve as vote-getters. In governmental duties, he argued, deputy regional heads have almost no tasks or authority, and tensions frequently arise between the two parties. ‘Let’s just elect regional heads without deputies. The deputy can simply be appointed by the regional head. This is so they are not just vote-getters; I feel sorry for the current deputy regional heads,’ Khozin said.