Savings And Minimization Of Currency, PDIP Agrees To Closed Proportional Systems Implemented In The 2024 General Election

PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto / PDIP DOK

JAKARTA - Secretary General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Hasto Kristiyanto, stated that his party agreed that a closed proportional system would be implemented in the 2024 General Election. This was conveyed by Hasto in response to the discourse made by the Chairman of the General Election Commission (KPU) Hasyim Asya'ri, regarding the ongoing judicial review at the Constitutional Court (MK). According to Hasto, this system will encourage regeneration in political parties and prevent political liberalization. He also considered that fraud in elections could be minimized, while saving election costs amid economic problems faced by Indonesia and the threat of a global recession. "This provides incentives for improving performance in the DPR. At the same time, because this is a simultaneous election (pileg and presidential election), various forms of fraud can be suppressed. Because the implementation of elections becomes simpler," said Hasto at an online 2022 Year End Reflection press conference, Friday, December 30. "Most importantly, after our various economic problems, the cost of elections can be much reduced. So it will significantly save on election costs if the proportional is closed. Existing savings can be used for the stimulus of people's economic movements," he explained again. With an open proportional system, Hasto continued, it will actually cause the liberalization of politics and elected candidates to be more motivated by the understanding of individuals who prioritize personal popularity. Where, according to him, often does not correlate with the capacity to carry out legislative, budget and supervisory functions. Moreover, according to the constitution, said Hasto, legislative election participants are political parties, not individuals. "I conduct research specifically in my doctoral program at the University of Indonesia. Where political liberalization has encouraged parties to become electoral parties, and then created the impact of political capitalization, the emergence of political oligarchs, then free competition at all costs," said Hasto. Therefore, Hasto emphasized, according to the decision of the V PDIP Congress, the electoral system can be carried out proportionally closed. Considering that the 2024 election is a place for political parties to contest each other. However, Hasto said this was the domain of the DPR. PDIP, he said, would follow constitutionally and would not submit a judicial review to the Constitutional Court. "Judicial Review of the Constitutional Court is a constitutional mechanism guaranteed by law. The PDI-P obeys the principle, because as a party that has factions in the DPR RI does not have legal standing to conduct judicial reviews," said Hasto. "However, the party's stance as stipulated in Congress V, PDIP agrees with a closed proportional system," he concluded.