Regarding the Pilkada Discourse Through the DPRD, Megawati Said It Was Like Poco-poco Gymnastics

JAKARTA - The PDI-P emphasized criticism of the discourse on the return of the Regional Head Election (Pilkada) system through the DPRD. PDIP General Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri is said to have signaled the party's attitude through the opening speech of the I PDIP National Congress.

PDIP young politician Muhammad Syaeful Mujab said Megawati highlighted the direction of Indonesian democracy which was considered inconsistent. In his speech, Megawati likened the current democratic condition to a Poco-Poco gymnastics movement that advances and retreats.

"Mrs. Mega has given a hint, 'What is our democracy like Poco-Poco gymnastics, yes?'", Mujab said at the second press conference of the I PDIP National Conference at the Beach City International Stadium (BCIS), Ancol, North Jakarta, Sunday, January 11.

Mujab assessed that the analogy illustrates PDIP's unease with the discourse on changing the Pilkada system. According to him, democracy should move forward, not be pulled back.

"Last night I checked on YouTube, the poco-poco gymnastics is a forward, backward, right, left movement. For the PDI Perjuangan, democracy must move forward, not made to go back and forth," he said.

He rejected the notion that efforts to suppress political money could be used as an excuse to remove the people's right to directly choose regional heads. Mujab said that the issue of money politics must be resolved without sacrificing the sovereignty of the people.

"PDI Perjuangan believes that the issue of political money does not have to be amputated by depriving the people of their right to choose," he said.

According to Mujab, the discourse on re-examining the Pilkada system will determine the direction of Indonesian democracy in the future. He assessed that the decision taken will show whether Indonesian democracy wants to develop or regress.

A similar view was expressed by another young PDIP politician, Seno Bagaskoro. He emphasized the importance of emotional relations between leaders and people that can only be built through direct elections.

"How can a leader feel the unrest of his people if the people don't know who he is? If he is aware that he is only chosen by a few people in the DPRD, not by the majority of the people, then it is difficult to expect that the people's problems can be resolved," he continued.

Seno emphasized that for PDIP, elections are not merely about winning political victories, but rather how the leadership process is carried out responsibly.

"People are already facing many difficulties in life. Do you want to take away the right to voice who is the leader worthy of them for the next five years? For us, it's a logic that common sense is hard to understand," he concluded.

For information, the official stance of the PDI Perjuangan regarding the discussion of changes to the Pilkada system is scheduled to be announced in the recommendations of the results of the PDIP I National Conference on Monday, January 12.