Surabaya, E Java (Antara) - The General Election Commission (KPU) office in Surabaya has no problem with a discourse calling for regional head elections through local legislative councils (DPRD). "The KPU Surabaya has no problem with whether DPRD or people will directly elect regional heads because this does not violate the Constitution," Chief of the KPU Surabaya Robiyan Arifin said here on Monday. He said regional head elections through DPRD are not against article 18 paragraph 4 of the 1945 Constitution which stipulates governors, district heads and mayors are elected democratically. The article suggests that regional heads can be elected directly by local legislators so the discourse on returning the election of regional heads to DPRD can be realized in Surabaya, he said. The discourse has sparked pros and cons. The All-Indonesia District Government Association (APKASI) is opposed to the proposal to return regional head elections to local legislative councils (DPRD), arguing it runs counter to the mandate of reform movements. "Regional head elections that involve the people's direct participation are one of the fruits of the 1998 reform struggle. Therefore, the direct regional head elections that are more transparent must not be returned to DPRD," APKASI General Chairman Isran Noor said here on Sunday. Returning direct regional head elections to DPRD amounts to depriving the people of their political rights, he said. The United Development Party (PPP) has proposed a moratorium on direct regional head elections, citing several shortcomings as reasons. PPP Secretary General Muhammad Romahurmuziy stated last Friday direct regional head elections require a great deal of investment, so that only wealthy candidates can afford to file nominations. He said direct regional head elections, which have been conducted throughout the country during the last nine years, have caused legal problems to 292 regional heads or 96 percent of the total. Direct regional head elections are also prone to nepotism-tainted practice, money politics, and horizontal conflict, he said. However, chief of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) central executive board Puan Maharani told reporters in Semarang, Central Java, last Friday that the PDIP faction at the DPR has consistently supported direct regional head elections as a form of good democracy. Puan stated that she was surprised at the stand of three other factions on the election bill. The three factions are the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, and the Golkar Party, which had formed the Red-and-White coalition to nominate Prabowo Subianto as its presidential candidate in July 9 polls. "If direct regional head elections are rejected for cost efficiency reasons, then can they provide assurance that regional head elections through local legislative councils will be more efficient," she argued. (*) Reporting by Abdul Hakim

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