PDIP: Presidential Thresold Of 20 Percent Should Be Added

Secretary General of the PDI-P Hasto Kristiyanto/DOK ANTARA

JAKARTA - Secretary-General of the PDI-P, Hasto Kristiyanto, said the presidential threshold (PT) or the 20 percent threshold for presidential nominations had to be increased so that the effectiveness of the government would be better.

This was conveyed by Hasto in response to the many lawsuits related to the presidential threshold which were later submitted to the Constitutional Court (MK).

"The 20 percent presidential threshold should have been added instead, it should have ensured how the effectiveness of the government can run well", said Hasto while attending the Rice Companion Culinary Festival in celebration of the 49th Anniversary of PDIP at the PDIP Party School, Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, Friday, January 7th.

Hasto said the threshold had to be maintained. The reason is, in the mirror of the government of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), even though there is 20 percent PT, it is difficult to get support in running the government.

In addition, he presupposes that the presidential threshold is the same as college admission requirements. Hasto said, only prospective students who meet the requirements such as reaching a certain TOEFL score can enter.

This is the same as general elections. According to him, the existence of this threshold is the same as screening candidates for leaders who are really mature.

"You can imagine if everyone demands by removing the threshold so that everyone has the right to a top university. We can imagine how teaching at a university is. Moreover, this is a nation, a country that is responsible for more than 270 million Indonesian people", said Hasto.

"We cannot take shortcuts, eliminating something that by nature is actually needed for the sake of the stability and effectiveness of the government", he added.

Hasto reminded that the election is the highest manifestation of democracy in the form of the people voting. Meanwhile, the presidential threshold is a form of initial screening featuring qualified candidates for leaders.

"So regulations are needed to ensure that the government resulting from the election is also able to carry out its duties effectively", concluded Hasto.