PKB Rejects Revision Of Parliamentary Thresholds Of 4 Percent

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JAKARTA - Deputy Secretary General of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Syaiful Huda emphasized that his party rejected the revision of the parliamentary threshold of 4 percent.

According to Huda, changes to the threshold contained in the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK), if lowered, will cause new problems.

"PKB has its own views on the decision of the Constitutional Court which asks for a revision of the parliamentary threshold or a 4 percent parliamentary threshold. PKB does not agree with the revision. If the revised provisions in the DPR later actually reduces PT to below 4 percent, it will become a new problem," Huda told reporters, Monday, March 4.

PKB, according to Huda, supports the simplification of political parties (political parties) through the parliamentary threshold. The simplification of political parties is considered important so that the composition of parliament from the choice of society is not spread and paraded.

"We want this election in the future to be more oriented towards strategic and ideological agendas. If this continues, if there is no simplification, parties are still multi-party, yes, the political pragmatism will continue to overshadow every time we election," said Huda.

Huda assessed that the 4 percent threshold is still accommodating political parties in small votes. Namely by voicing the aspirations of the people through the provincial and district DPRDs.

According to him, this decision shows the Court's inconsistent attitude because it does not change the presidential threshold or presidential threshold.

"If we want us to strengthen the presidential system, there must be a parliamentary threshold. Once this parliamentary threshold is violated, it means that we are weakening our presidential system. If we want to be strong, there must be a parliamentary threshold," he said.

It is known, this decision is related to the judicial review submitted by Needdem. The petitioner questioned Article 414 paragraph (1) of the Election Law which stated, "The Political Party of Election Contestants must meet the threshold for vote acquisition of at least 4% (four percent) of the number of valid votes nationally to be included in determining the seat acquisition of DPR members".

The Constitutional Court in its decision stated that the norm of Article 414 paragraph 1 of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections is constitutional as long as it remains valid for the 2024 DPR Election and conditional constitutional to be enforced in the 2028 DPR Election and the next election as long as changes to parliamentary threshold norms and the number or percentage of parliamentary thresholds have been made.

"Based on the decision of the Constitutional Court Number 116/PPU-XXI/2023, the norm of Article 414 paragraph 1 of Law 7,2017 has a new meaning that has been in effect since the decision of the Constitutional Court Number 116/PUU-XXI/2023," reads the Constitutional Court's legal considerations.

The Constitutional Court has decided that the parliamentary threshold of 4 percent must be changed before the 2029 election. The Constitutional Court explained that the a quo norm, namely the 4 percent parliamentary threshold, still applies to the 2024 election, but in substance the a quo norm has undergone a change in meaning.