About Changing The Election System, PKB Agree With SBY: If It Occurs, Nation Will Be In Chaos

PKB sympathizers celebrate an open campaign at Makassar's Hertasning Field, South Sulawesi, Monday, March 17 2014. (Antara-Yusran Uccang)

JAKARTA - Member of the DPR from the PKB faction Luqman Hakim invites all parties to ensure that the Constitutional Court (MK) prioritizes the interests of the continuity of the life of the nation and state in deciding cases against the electoral system being proportionally closed.

"I invite all parties to work together to convince the Constitutional Court that in deciding this case it really prioritizes the interests of the continued existence of the Indonesian nation and state," Luqman said in a written statement, Sunday, February 19, reported by Antara.

He also agreed with the 6th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), who questioned the urgency of changing the electoral system from open proportional to closed.

One of SBY's notes highlighted by Luqman is that efforts to change the electoral system in the midst of the current stage have the potential to disrupt the readiness of all parties to hold a democratic party.

"However, during the 'calm' period, it is good if there is a joint deliberation, rather than taking shortcuts to do a 'judicial review' to the Constitutional Court," said SBY in his written statement.

Luqman continued, the matter of the lawsuit re-implementing the closed proportional system or people voting for political parties instead of candidates has the potential to cause a political crisis.

"If the Constitutional Court grants the petitum of Article 420 letters c and d of the Election Law which regulates the determination of seats for political parties in an electoral district, there will no longer be a legal basis for determining the allocation of seats to political parties participating in elections in an electoral district. In short, the 2024 Election will only up to the voting stage at TPS," he said.

Thus, he continued, the 2024 Election could not proceed to the stage of assigning seats by political parties because there was no longer any legal basis.

"If such things happen, it will definitely trigger a political crisis and chaos nationally," he said.