SBY Replied, PDIP: Democrats Have Changed The Election System In 2008

PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto at the PDIP DPP Party School, Lenteng Agung, Jakarta, Friday, February 3. (Tsa Tsia-VOI)

Secretary General of the PDI-P DPP (PDIP) Hasto Kristiyanto replied to the statement of the 6th President of the Republic of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) who was surprised by the emergence of a push to turn the electoral system into closed proportional.

Hasto assessed that SBY seemed to have forgotten the history of dozens of years ago. When SBY was still the head of state, Democratic Party cadres changed the closed proportional system to open.

"Pak SBY forgot that in December 2008, during his reign, several Democrat cadres who made changes to a closed proportional system became open through a judicial review mechanism," said Hasto in Lebak, Banten, Sunday, February 19.

Hasto said that the change in the electoral system carried out by the SBY era was only about 4 months before the 2009 election. According to Hasto, the change in the SBY-era electoral system was carried out to win Democrats in political contestation.

"By doing everything in the way, the Democratic Party has finally increased by 300 percent. So it is impossible that a multi-party system complexing a party can increase its vote by 300 percent, and that is impossible without massive fraud, without using some elements from the KPU which should be neutral," explained Hasto.

Moreover, Hasto continued, the judicial review of the change in the open electoral system has become closed, which is now being processed at the Constitutional Court (MK), not submitted by party cadres, but by several citizens.

"Judical review is now not carried out by the party because the PDI-P also has no right, does not have legal standing to conduct judicial reviews," he said.

Through his written statement, SBY admitted that he was surprised that the electoral system wanted to be changed when the stages of the democratic party had started. "Is it right that in the midst of the planned and well prepared journey, especially by political parties participating in the election, suddenly a very fundamental rule is made change?" said SBY.

According to SBY, state institutions, both executive, legislative and judicial should not simply use their power and then make very basic changes related to people's overall lives.

The chairman of the Democratic Party's High Council also argued that changing the electoral system was not an ordinary decision and policy or commonly carried out in the process and activities of national management.

Therefore, SBY emphasized that the public needs to be talked to regarding the two electoral systems, both open and closed, from mechanisms to the impact of their implementation.

"We must open ourselves up and want to hear the views of other parties, especially the people. The people really need to be given a clear explanation of the plan to replace the electoral system. What is different between an open system and a closed system," explained SBY.