MPR mulls direct election for regional governments

MPR mulls direct election for regional governments

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is debating the
possibility of introducing a direct election system for heads of
regional administrations, an MPR member said on Thursday.

"The direct election concept is very important, since the
current mechanism is vulnerable to meddling by the central
government, and money politics," said Manasse Malo, chairman of
the Democracy and Love the Nation Faction in the MPR, after
addressing a discussion named "The Election of the Head of the
Regional Governments in the Autonomy Era."

Presently, the heads of regional administrations are elected
by local councillors, and approved by the president for governors
and by the home minister for regents, allowing contestants to
bribe local councillors.

Manasse said that direct elections by the people would help to
curb the pervasive money politics and intervention by influential
figures in Jakarta.

Several parties have also pushed the MPR to adopt direct
election mechanisms for both the president and the head of the
regional governments through legislative amendments to the
current constitution, he said.

Manasse, who is also chairman of the Regional Autonomy section
in the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission II, said that
the MPR has received much input from people who indicated that
they were favorable to the idea.

The regional governments channeled these opinions through
MPR's Ad Hoc Committee I, which oversees Constitutional
amendments.

"Under the direct election system, the people's sovereignty
would be ensured. For practical reasons, it would be very
difficult to contest elected parties by bribing every citizen in
any given region -- rather than paying off a handful of
councillors," he said.

Money politics and intervention run rampant in the elections
for heads of regional governments. A case in point is the
election of the Kendari mayor in Southeast Sulawesi province.

In the Kendari mayoralty, local councillors reelected Masyhur
Masie Abunawas as the mayor at the end of last year.

The Southeast Sulawesi governor who, under the current system,
is in charge of endorsing the election results, intervened. He
suspended the final decision solely on the grounds that Masie's
performance was poor in his first term.

Local councillors insisted that, under the Regional Autonomy
Law effective on Jan. 1, 2001, they all had the right to elect
the mayor.

The governor was adamant in his stance, however, arguing that
he had the authority to suspend the decision -- and that Masie
was a civil servant under his authority.

The standoff left the matter in limbo.