Islamic Students Stage Protest Against Holding Indirect Regional Head Elections

Surabaya, E Java (Antara) - Scores of Islamic students staged a rally on Friday to protest against calls for legislative councils (DPRD) to elect district heads and mayors. "On behalf of the students, we oppose the calls. Holding indirect regional head elections are in the interests of political elites who seek to revive the New Order regime," the rally's coordinator Sutrisno affirmed. The indirect regional head elections will be detrimental to democracy and rob the people of their political rights, he asserted. "We, students, are opposed to them," he stated. In the history of democracy, every citizen has equal right in the decision-making process. Democracy allows every citizen to directly participate in electing their leaders, he noted. The proposal for DPRD to elect district heads and mayors has sparked divided opinions throughout the society. The All-Indonesia District Government Association (APKASI) is opposed to the proposal of handing over power to the DPRD to elect district heads and mayors, arguing that it runs counter to the mandate of reform movements. However, the United Development Party (PPP) has proposed a moratorium on direct regional head elections, citing several shortcomings. PPP Secretary General Muhammad Romahurmuziy stated last Friday that direct regional head elections require a great deal of investment, as a result of which only affluent candidates filed nominations. Muhammad emphasized that direct regional head elections, which have been conducted throughout the country since the last nine years, have caused legal problems for 292 regional heads, or 96 percent of the total. Direct regional head elections are also prone to nepotism-tainted practices, money politics, and other conflicts, he pointed out. However, Chief of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Central Executive Board Puan Maharani informed reporters in Semarang, Central Java, on last Friday that the PDIP faction at the DPR has consistently supported direct regional head elections as a form of active democracy. (*) Reporting by Abdul Hakim