Ginting: Direct Elections Cost High, Need to Be Evaluated

JAKARTA - Political and military communication observer from the National University of Jakarta, Selamat Ginting, assessed that the electoral system in Indonesia is time to be evaluated. If the measuring stick is the 1998 Reformasi era or post-New Order, then the current electoral system is more than 25 years old. "This means that as a product, the election needs to be evaluated plus-minus. There must be good and bad, when the election is carried out by the DPRD, or as it is now (people vote) directly," he said when talking to Eddy Wijaya in the EdShareOnyang podcast aired on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.

The discourse that the election of regional heads is carried out by the Regional Representative Council (DPRD), is no longer directly chosen by the people, has been rolling recently. Golkar Party Chairman Bahlil Lahadalia proposed the mechanism in the celebration of Golkar's 61st anniversary in Jakarta, December 5. President Prabowo Subianto who was present there said he would consider the idea. A year ago, Prabowo had also mentioned the high cost of elections and campaigns which reached trillions of rupiah.

According to Selamat Ginting, the amount of budget spent by the state is indeed one of the factors that must be considered from direct elections. The cost of the 2024 presidential election, for example, reached Rp. 76.6 trillion, up almost 200 percent from the previous presidential election. Not to mention the campaign costs incurred by the candidate for regional head, or his political dowry. "Furthermore, money politics is also high," said Selamat Ginting.

Money politics during this campaign can also lead to long-term consequences when regional heads are elected. Because political parties want to "turn over capital", they can demand their cadres who sit in the government to cawe-cawe looking for money. "If there is no money from the cadres, the political party will move with what capital?" To avoid this condition, Selamat Ginting proposed that the state finance political parties. However, in order for the cost not to be too high, the number of political parties must be reduced.

The second consideration that is highlighted by Selamat Ginting from the direct election is the quality of the regional head candidate. According to Selamat Ginting, the popularity of the candidate is one of the keys to victory in the direct election. It can happen, the one who is elected is not the person who has the ability, but who has big capital and is famous. Meanwhile, on the other hand, the popularity of the candidate can also have a negative impact on the political party. He gave an example of the split between PDIP and Jokowi, as a form of the popularity of the figure who defeated the loyalty to the party. "So the political party is actually upset with the people who are elected, but 'as if playing alone', as if not tied to the party."

On the other hand, the regional head who was elected from the direct election, has high political legitimacy during his tenure. He also feels more responsible to the people instead of the political party, and thus is required to work in an accountable and transparent manner. Therefore, it is important to review the mechanism of the election and the presidential election, whether it should be held directly, or through the DPRD. "So, this plus-minus must be put on the table," said Selamat Ginting.

Selamat Ginting added that one solution to Indonesia's political conditions is a hybrid local election: some are directly chosen by the people, some are in the DPRD. This is important to discuss again, considering that some regions in Indonesia need special attention from the government. For example, Indonesia's 3T area, or the lagging, leading and outermost areas, which should be led by regional heads who have the right capabilities. "This means that we should not see all provinces the same (conditions and needs)."

Ginting: Pilkada by DPRD also has advantages

The discussion of changing the mechanism for the election of regional heads, to be elected by the Regional Representative Council (DPRD), has reaped opposition from a number of parties, including the Coalition of Civil Society for the Codification of the Electoral Law Revision. The coalition consists of a number of organizations, including Perludem, the Center for Constitutional Studies (PUSaKO) Faculty of Law, Andalas University, the Indonesian Women's Coalition, and the Indonesia Corruption Watch. According to the Coalition, the main problem is not in the direct pilkada mechanism, but in the electoral governance. The high political costs, however, are not caused by the direct pilkada mechanism, but because of the high campaign costs including political money.

Selamat Ginting said that anyone is free to have political and state perspectives. "It's okay if someone disagrees, but we also shouldn't reject the opinion that wants the election to be returned to the DPRD. Of course, the transformation of Western democratic values must be filtered," said the political and military observer to Eddy Wijaya in the EdShareOn podcast which aired on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.

According to him, the election through the DPRD also has advantages. One of them is because this mechanism is in accordance with the fourth principle of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution which questions the representation and deliberation of various religious representatives and groups, as well as customs. Another advantage is the lower political cost. If the election is held by the DPRD, candidates and political parties do not need to campaign massively, so that the potential for corruption can also decrease.

In addition, Selamat Ginting considers the election by the DPRD to minimize identity politics which in a number of elections, is felt. "If the voters are not the masses but our representatives in the DPRD building, horizontal conflicts in society can be reduced. That's the positive side," he said.

However, Selamat Ginting also noted that there was a negative side if the pilkada event took place at the DPRD. He estimated that the transactional space would be narrower, but intense. "Buying 'voices' will be easier, and the potential for bribes between elites can also be high," he said. Another minus is that the dynasty or oligarchy in an area can be more entrenched because it can put its people in the DPRD. In addition, regional heads are also prone to being held hostage by the interests of the factions that won them. "Especially if the faction's votes are determined by the party's general chairman. It can be 'gedor' directly from above."

Who is Eddy Wijaya, this is his profile

Eddy Wijaya is a podcaster born on August 17, 1972. Through the YouTube account @EdShareOn, Eddy interviewed many national figures ranging from state officials, legal experts, political experts, national politicians, to local celebrities. The man with a right cheek dimple is also a nationalist who is an activist for the marginalized and social observers by helping the community through the Wijaya Peduli Bangsa Foundation.

He is also active in the field of sports by serving as the Chairman of the Indonesian Equestrian Sports Association (Pordasi) Pacu and also served as Deputy General Chairman of the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) East Jakarta. Eddy also served as an Advisory Board of the Indonesian Chinese Social Association, 2022-2026 term of office. His ideas were formed because of his hard work to be independent since the age of 13 until he was successful as he is today. For Eddy, the world of work is not as smooth as imagined, failure and rejection are common. This is what makes him hold the tagline "Success is only a matter of time". (ADV)