MP States Election Bill Must Strengthen Presidential System
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Muhammad Khozin, a member of Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), stated that the Draft Law (RUU) regarding the Amendment to Law Number 7 of 2017 on General Elections must strengthen the presidential system of government.
According to him, every citizen’s vote must be ensured to have fair representational value within the political system. However, he also noted that there is currently a need to simplify the party system to support the effectiveness of the presidential government.
“We need to find a point of balance,” Khozin said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He further noted that Constitutional Court Decision Number 116/PUU-XXI/2023 is intended to strengthen the presidential system and reinforce the proportional system. Consequently, the DPR and the government must find common ground regarding the Constitutional Court’s mandate to follow up through the norm-setting process in the amendments to the Election Law.
He mentioned that Commission II has conducted various simulations regarding the design of the parliamentary threshold as part of the effort to find the most appropriate formulation.
“Election reforms must be directed towards strengthening democracy, improving the quality of political representation, and restoring public trust in democratic institutions. That should be our primary orientation,” he said.
Furthermore, Khozin stated that reforming the electoral system is not merely about technical debates regarding election design, parliamentary thresholds, or simultaneous elections.
“It must also be able to address more fundamental issues, namely the declining public trust in democratic institutions, particularly representative bodies,” he added.
Representative democracy, he noted, is the model adopted by almost all democratic nations in the world. However, in its development, representative institutions in various countries, including Indonesia, face challenges such as increasing public scepticism and delegitimisation.
“What needs our attention is not only how to design a good electoral system, but also how the results of that system can strengthen the legitimacy of democratic institutions. The public currently demands better quality representation,” said Khoitim.