Golkar: Presidential Threshold Must Be There To Screen Candidates

Nurul Arifin. (Instagram @na_nurularifin)

JAKARTA - The Golkar Party has raised its voice regarding the push for a zero percent presidential threshold. According to the party with the banyan tree symbol, the presidential threshold of 20 percent of parliamentary seats or 25 percent of the votes from the election results must be maintained. Deputy Chairperson of the Golkar Party, Nurul Arifin, assesses the 20 percent presidential threshold is important as an effort to screen candidates or figures who will promoted by political parties in elections.

"The presidential threshold must remain, because if it is not there then the candidates will not be screened," said Nurul Arifin to reporters, Wednesday, December 15.

According to him, it is not appropriate if the presidential threshold is seen as an attempt to amputate the political parties' duties in preparing the best figures for the presidential election.

"Political parties have a function for regeneration, then political aspirations, then provide their cadres for political positions, and that has been filtered. (With the presidential threshold, ed) it is even clearer when political parties determine who will be promoted to become the leader candidate, the presidential candidate in this case," explained the member of Commission I of the DPR RI. Moreover, said Nurul, the current presidential threshold figure is already ideal so there is no need to make any further changes.

"I think this (presidential threshold, ed) must still be maintained. The problem with numbers now is that it follows 25 percent of the vote and 20 percent of seats in parliament, I think that's enough," said Nurul.