Prabowo Complains About Expensive Democracy Costs, Hasto PDIP: We Make Cheap Through Closed Proportional

PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto/PHOTO: Wardhany Tsa Tsia-VOI

Secretary General of the PDI-P (PDIP) Hasto Kristiyanto said that political costs in Indonesia could be cheap if they implemented a closed proportional. This system will make voters only choose political parties without the name of legislative candidates.

This was conveyed by Hasto in response to the statement of presidential candidate number two, Prabowo Subianto, who complained about the high cost of democracy in the country.

"Yes, we will make it cheap, for example with a closed proportional system. That's cheap," Hasto told reporters in the Menteng area, Central Jakarta, Saturday, March 9.

Hasto explained that the limited proportional system is more compact to do than what is now being implemented. "Why is it so expensive because of the incident in 2009, when the political liberalization was carried out without serial numbers," he said.

Prabowo Subianto had mentioned the high cost of politics in the country. He compared the costs that must be incurred by legislative candidates in Indonesia with other countries, such as Europe.

In England, Prabowo said, a legislative candidate only needs to spend Rp12 million or 500. "You know how much Indonesia has ended (to run for the DPR, ed)," he said during a political speech in front of the United Indonesia Advocate Alliance (AAIB) at Kartini Hall, Jalan Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta, Thursday, March 11.

The Minister of Defense then promised that if elected and inaugurated, he would redesign the political system in Indonesia. Moreover, there is currently a discrepancy with the 1945 Constitution.

I need legal experts to help redesign our political system. We have to find a political system that allows the best cadres to emerge without too much cost," concluded Prabowo.