Experts welcome direct elections for heads of regional governments
Experts welcome direct elections for heads of regional governments
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Experts welcomed over the weekend the government's plan to hold
direct elections for heads of regional governments, but expressed
reservations about its move to revise the country's autonomy law.
Smita Notosusanto from the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro)
said on Saturday that the government should also allow the
establishment of local political parties and participation of
independent candidates in the elections.
The presence of local parties and the participation of
independent candidates, according to Smita, were necessary as
"they (political parties) would be more accountable to their
constituents".
Smita, however, questioned the government's plan to revise the
country's autonomy law as a "disguised move" to reclaim certain
powers already delegated to local governments.
"Since the clause is dealing with election processes, I think
the government should insert it in the election bill now being
discussed in the House," Smita told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said last week that he
planned to revise Law No. 22/1999 on regional administration to
enable local people to choose directly their leaders and prevent
possible dismissals of regional heads by local legislative
councils as has been the case in several provinces in recent
months.
The House of Representatives (DPR) is currently deliberating a
bill on general elections that will replace the 1999 election
law.
The 1999 election law stipulates that only political parties
that achieve 2 percent of the total votes could run in the next
election. The law also says that the Ministry of Home Affairs and
the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights hold the highest
authority in deciding whether or not certain political parties
are eligible to contest.
The government, including President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
has on different occasions called for the revision on the
country's autonomy law, but regional administrations and
legislators have strongly opposed the move for fear that it would
strip local governments of their powers.
Former minister of administrative reforms Ryaas Rasyid, who
authored the country's autonomy law, rejected the participation
of local political parties or independent candidates, saying that
existing laws did not allow local parties and independent
candidates to contest in elections.
"The presence of local parties contradicts the existing
election law," Ryaas told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.
According to Ryaas, if certain influential groups at local
levels insist on running in the election, they should join the
existing political parties.