The Reason PDIP Supports Closed Proportional Elections: Many Don't Take The Cost Of Becoming A Member Of The Council If The System Is Open

PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto (Photo: DOK PDIP/VOI)

PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto explained his party's reasons for supporting the discourse of the generalized closed-door electoral system. In fact, other parties in the DPR RI firmly reject this.

Hasto outlined an open proportional system that has been running from the 2009 to 2019 elections, which tends to pass legislative candidates capable of disbursing large capital in campaigning up to hundreds of billions of rupiah.

"Many say the cost is not able to because proportional is open. At least there is Rp5 billion to become a member of the council. Some even run out of Rp100 billion to become members of the council. So, there is a tendency for the structure of many council members to be dominated by entrepreneurs," said Hasto when met in the Central Jakarta area, Sunday, January 8.

Meanwhile, Hasto claims that PDIP prefers candidates from academics who are experts in their fields to occupy council members' seats in line with election costs that can be reduced. Because, according to him, they are more competent to represent the voices of the people in parliament.

"At Commission I (DPR RI), we need experts on defense experts, diplomatic experts who are fighting for Indonesia's national interests. At Commission IV, we need agricultural experts," explained Hasto.

"Well, proportionally open, when we offer experts to build Indonesia through legislative, budgetary, and supervisory functions," he continued.

For information, as many as six people, namely Demas Brian Wicaksono (applicants I), Yuwono Pintadi (applicants II), Fahrurrozi (applicants III), Ibnu Rachman Jaya (applicants IV), Riyanto (applicants V), and Nono Marijono (applicants VI) submitted a judicial review of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections related to an open proportional system to the Constitutional Court.

The application is registered with case number 114/PUU-XX/2022.

If the judicial review lawsuit is granted by the Constitutional Court, the 2024 Election system will change to a closed proportional system, where with this closed system the voters are only presented with the political party logo on the ballot, not the name of the party cadre who participates in the legislative election.

KPU chairman Hasyim Asy'ari previously talked about the possibility that the General Election system or the 2024 General Election would return to using a closed proportional system. He said the system was being discussed through the Constitutional Court trial.

However, Hasyim explained, it was only an assumption based on the existence of a lawsuit at the Constitutional Court regarding the current electoral law. So it is not a proposal from the KPU but from the current electoral factual conditions.

"So maybe prospective election participants can get ready and follow developments if the Court grants the lawsuit," he said during the KPU Year End Note event at the KPU office, Menteng, Central Jakarta, Thursday, December 29, 2022.

Responding to this, today the 8 DPR RI political parties agreed to reject the discourse of the 2024 Election system proportionally closed. The eight parties are Golkar, Gerindra, NasDem, PKB, Democrats, PKS, PAN, and PPP.