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.