MP assesses proposal to extend village heads' terms as a threat to village democracy
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Muhammad Khozin, believes that the proposal to extend the terms of village heads—which are set to expire in 2027, 2028, and 2029—without undergoing the village head election (Pilkades) process, has the potential to threaten democracy at the village level.
According to him, the proposal lacks juridical, sociological, and philosophical foundations. He added that fiscal issues cannot be used as a justification for extending village heads’ terms without a direct election process.
“A characteristic of democracy, among others, is that leaders are elected. Periodic village head elections are the essence of democracy at the village level,” Khozin stated in Jakarta on Friday.
Furthermore, he reminded that there is currently no state of emergency or force majeure that could justify delaying the implementation of village elections, let alone abolishing them. He assessed that such a move could set a bad precedent for Indonesian democracy.
He also noted that extending the terms of village heads without elections would trigger dynamics at the village level. In his view, periodic elections at the village level serve as a formal mechanism to accommodate the aspirations of the village community.
“The essence of an election is to provide a forum to understand the aspirations emerging within the village community. What would happen if this forum for absorbing aspirations were abolished or delayed?” he said.
Nevertheless, he stated that the DPR will review and examine the aspirations expressed by village heads some time ago.
Previously, during an audience held at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Wednesday (9/9), the General Chairman of the AMJ Village Heads Association, Jaro Muhadi, stated that extending the terms of village heads would reduce the costs of organising village head elections (Pilkades), in line with the government’s current spirit of budget efficiency.
“As the National Coordinator for Village Heads whose terms expire in 2027, 2028, and 2029—totaling 36,000 village heads across Indonesia—we request the government and the DPR RI to consider a scheme for term continuity,” said Jaro.
According to him, the group is also requesting that current incumbent village heads have their terms extended without the need for elections for a certain period, with clearly defined time limits based on legal mechanisms.