DPR Complies With Constitutional Court Decision, Commission II: Pilkada Will Be More Democratic

DPR-MPR Building. (Dino Januarsa-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Commission II of the DPR RI has officially approved the draft revision of KPU Regulation (PKPU) Number 8 of 2024 concerning the nomination of regional heads for the 2024 Pilkada which is in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK).

The DPR assesses that this new regulation can make the General Election of Regional Heads (Pilkada) more democratic and transparent.

"With the latest PKPU Number 8, the threshold (mining the nomination limit) will decrease, this will make the implementation of the Pilkada more democratic. The DPR has proven its commitment to hearing the aspirations of the community and prioritizing the interests of the people," said member of Commission II DPR RI Mardani Ali Sera, quoted Tuesday, August 26, 2024.

As is known, the PKPU regarding the Pilkada was revised as a follow-up to the Constitutional Court's decision which changed the nomination threshold for regional heads through Decision Number 60/PUU-XXII/2024. The Constitutional Court decided that the threshold for nomination of regional heads would no longer be 25 percent of the votes acquired by political parties or coalitions of political parties resulting from the previous DPRD Pileg, or 20 percent of the DPRD seats.

In its decision, the Constitutional Court stated that the threshold for nomination of regional heads by political parties is equivalent to the threshold for nominating regional heads from independent/non-party/institutional channels. In addition, the Constitutional Court emphasized that the requirements for the age of regional head candidates are calculated since the determination of the person concerned as regional head candidates by the KPU, not during the inauguration, as decided by the Supreme Court (MA).

The DPR Baleg was about to revise the Pilkada Law following the Supreme Court which contradicted the Constitutional Court's decision, causing a major public reaction. Various demonstrations were held in Jakarta and various regions, including in front of the DPR RI Building last weekend.

On the aspirations of the community and because Baleg's decision was considered contrary to the constitution, the DPR finally decided to cancel revising the Pilkada Law and firmly accommodated the final and binding Constitutional Court decision. Commission II of the DPR will also immediately hold a hearing (RDP) with the KPU and approve the changes to the PKPU regarding the Pilkada to accommodate the Constitutional Court's decision.

Mardani stated that the PKPU regulation, which refers to the Constitutional Court's decision, could provide opportunities for political parties to propose cadres to contest the Pilkada.

"This latest PKPU opens up opportunities for political parties to propose their cadres to run in the Pilkada. In addition, voters can also be smart because it allows them to become cross-cutting votes or joint voters from candidate supporters," said the legislator from the DKI Jakarta I electoral district.

Furthermore, Mardani said that PKPU Number 8 of 2024 which had been adjusted to the Constitutional Court's decision could weaken the practice of money politics. This is because the current phenomenon increases public participation in the implementation of the Pilkada.

"We hope that the practice of political money can be suppressed because currently voters are more mature," said Mardani.

"It's time for the merit system to appear, quality above the contents of the bag (money politics)," he added.

Mardani assessed that public involvement and awareness of the importance of implementing the Pilkada had strengthened. Even the involvement of voters in the Pilkada is very evident in how strong public support is in the Constitutional Court's decision.

"It can be seen from the actions of the community who expressed their aspirations for the Constitutional Court's decision. This makes us optimistic that democracy in Indonesia will be more advanced because many components want to speak up," said Mardani.

"Including middle class groups who have rarely been involved now, they are busy going down to guard the political process as part of democracy," he continued.

Commission II of the DPR in charge of General Elections and Regional Head Elections sees an increase in the quality of the Pilkada implementation with a recently occurring phenomenon.

Mardani stated that the high aspirations of people who cannot be dammed by a certain group will further ensure that the implementation of the election runs according to the spirit of the Luber and Jurdil elections (Langsung, General, Secrets, Honest and Fair).

"Of course this is very good because people choose leaders based on qualifications, competence, and performance. That way the goal of ensuring regional leaders is occupied by people who are professional, competent, and carry out tasks based on basic values, codes of ethics, and code of conduct can be realized," he explained.

Mardani hopes that the PKPU that has been adjusted to the Constitutional Court's decision can be proof that the DPR remains committed to defending the community's sense of justice.

"That in the end, the DPR prioritizes the interests and hopes of the people in order to realize the health of Indonesian democracy," said Mardani.