No quality guarantee

No quality guarantee

From Gatra

The direct elections of regional chiefs now taking place in
several regions was inspired by the 2004 general election, which
was considered successful despite the various irregularities
reported.

In reality, some candidates for regional heads have been
involved in vote buying to gain their seats. So, only those who
can afford to finance campaigns, or are close to fund holders,
have a good chance of winning.

As a result, the only certain thing is that regional chiefs
are now directly elected, but there is no guarantee of a higher
quality of leadership.

Therefore, the direct regional election will not automatically
offer solutions to the various difficulties being faced by the
population. The new directly elected president, for instance, has
added to the public's burden by raising fuel prices.

NAYLA RAHMAH
Surabaya