DPD Encourages Discourse On Independent Presidential Candidates

DOC/Chairman of DPD Sultan B. Najamudin in the parliament complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Friday (15/11/2024). BETWEEN/HO-DPD/am.

Chairman of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) Sultan B. Najamudin assessed that the discourse and study of the proposal for presidential candidates through independent or non-partisan channels in the Indonesian political system are important to be discussed by lawmakers and academics of constitutional law.

This was conveyed following the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) which removed the presidential nomination threshold (presidential threshold) on Thursday (2/1).

"We really appreciate the steps taken by the Constitutional Court which slowly but dare to get rid of political boundaries that hinder the development of democracy and provide political rights that are a little more open to citizens in running for national leadership," said Sultan in a statement quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, January 4.

However, he respects the provisions in the constitution that regulate presidential candidacy only through political parties.

"Currently, the Constitution only assigns political parties as democratic institutions that have the right to propose presidential candidates, but the discourse of presenting independent national leaders or non-partisan democratic institutions needs to be started," he said.

Sultan hopes that the right to vote or be elected can be opened wider and fulfill a sense of political justice for the community so that the Indonesian people can find national leaders who are of higher quality from time to time.

"It is difficult for this nation to achieve the quality of democracy and find a plenary national leadership if we do not prepare alternative democratic institutions other than political parties in determining fundamental things in our country. Meanwhile, many political parties are not yet fully willing to practice democratization within the party," he said.

Because, according to him, the condition of political parties in the country still tends not to be serious in cadreization to prepare candidates for national leaders.

"Only a few political parties have attention in the regeneration process," he said.

The chairman of the DPD also mentioned that several major democracy countries, such as the United States (US), even provide the widest opportunity for their people who are considered competent to run for president through independent channels.

No exception, he continued, Russian President Vladimir Putin was directly elected by the Russian people after running independently in the presidential election (pilpres).

"This means that the principle of justice and the equality of political rights for citizens to vote and be elected in democracy should not be limited by the Presidential Threshold or certain political institutions," said the former Deputy Governor of Bengkulu.

Previously, the Constitutional Court decided to abolish the provisions of the minimum threshold for the percentage of proposing pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates (presidential thresholds) in Article 222 of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections because it contradicts the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.

"Granted the petitioners' petition in its entirety," said Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) Suhartoyo when reading the verdict.

The deleted article contains the conditions for nominating pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates that must be supported by political parties or coalitions of political parties that have 20 percent of seats in the DPR RI, or obtaining 25 percent of national valid votes in the previous legislative elections (pileg).