Gerindra Calls Proposed 7% Parliamentary Threshold 'Too High' for Political Parties
Gerindra Honorary Board Chairman Ahmad Muzani has responded to the proposal to raise the parliamentary threshold to 7%, deeming the figure too high.
“I think 7% is too high. I believe 7% is indeed too high and it is no easy feat for political parties to achieve that,” Muzani said at the Asshiddiqiyah Islamic Boarding School in West Jakarta on Sunday (22/2/2026).
Muzani acknowledged that a parliamentary threshold still needs to be maintained, but said the specific figure should be left to the House of Representatives (DPR) to agree upon.
“I think the parliamentary threshold is something that still needs to be retained, but as for the exact figure, I think it depends on the needs. I believe it will ultimately be a matter of consensus among our colleagues in the DPR,” he said.
The proposal was previously put forward by NasDem Party Chairman Surya Paloh, who stated that his party would remain consistent in pushing for the parliamentary threshold to be raised to 7%. Paloh argued that a 7% threshold would be far more effective.
“I think NasDem should just stay consistent on this. Unless there are truly significant changes. In any case, NasDem genuinely believes that if we could shift from a multiparty system to a selected party system, it would be far more effective — both for maintaining governmental stability and for implementing the benefits of the democratic freedoms we possess,” Paloh said at NasDem Tower in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Saturday (21/2).
Paloh went on to address the proliferation of political parties, questioning the purpose of democracy if it does not deliver tangible benefits.
Paloh said the role political parties must fulfil is to build public awareness. He stressed that freedom comes with responsibility.
“This should give us pause for reflection. We have been too delighted with the sheer number of political parties in the name of democracy itself. But on the other hand, what is the point of democracy if it does not deliver practical benefits and consistency towards the ideals of our independence? Our capability, effectiveness, reasoning, intellectualism and morality must move ever closer towards our shared objectives,” he said.