JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Program Manager of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) Fadli Ramadhanil asked the DPR, KPU, and President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) not to feel like heroes after approving the revision of KPU Regulation (PKPU) Number 8 of 2024 concerning the nomination of regional heads for the 2024 elections which contained the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK).
Fadli said, from the beginning, they had committed defiance which triggered a public reaction. Then, after massive demonstrations, the DPR and the government just realized.
“They should not feel like heroes who are the most obedient to the Constitutional Court’s decision, no,” said Fadli when contacted by Kompas.com, Sunday (25/8/2024).
“This happened because there was a defiance that they initially committed, and there was a very wide resistance from the public, from the community, from all elements. Then they realized,” he added.
Fadli emphasized that there was nothing special about the actions of the KPU, DPR, and President Jokowi.
He said it was their duty to comply with court decisions, including the Constitutional Court.
“In fact, there is nothing special about the actions of the KPU, DPR, and the President in complying with the Constitutional Court’s decision, absolutely nothing special,” he said.
“This should be their duty as state administrators, election organizers, to comply with court decisions, including the Constitutional Court’s decision,” Fadli continued.
Meanwhile, Fadli said that the government and DPR should have taken a stance to accept the Constitutional Court’s decision from the start, without having to wait for public protests.
“So, this is an important lesson for me that should not be repeated,” he added.
Commission II of the House of Representatives officially approved the revision of KPU Regulation (PKPU) Number 8 of 2024 concerning the nomination of regional heads for the 2024 elections, Sunday (25/8/2024).
The decision was read out by Chairman of Commission II of the House of Representatives Ahmad Doli Kurnia in a hearing (RDP) with KPU RI, which discussed changes to PKPU to accommodate the decision of the Constitutional Court.
“We already know that the draft PKPU on the amendment to KPU Regulation Number 8 of 2024 has accommodated. There is nothing less, nothing more than the decision of the Constitutional Court Number 60 and 70,” said Doli in the meeting room, Sunday (25/8/2024).
Doli then asked for the approval of all factions present in the forum, and immediately knocked on the hammer as a sign of approval.
“Can we agree?” asked Doli.
“Agreed,” replied the meeting participants, followed by the tapping of the hammer.
For information, the Constitutional Court decided to change the threshold for regional head candidacy through Decision Number 60/PUU-XXII/2024, which was submitted by the Labor and Gelora Parties on Tuesday (20/8/2024).
The Constitutional Court decided that the threshold for regional head candidacy is no longer 25 percent of the vote of a political party or a coalition of political parties from the previous legislative elections, or 20 percent of DPRD seats.
In its decision, the Court stated that the threshold for nomination of regional heads by political parties is equalized with the threshold for nomination of regional heads from independent/non-party/individual channels.
In addition, the Court emphasized that the age requirement for regional head candidates is calculated since the determination of the person concerned as a regional head candidate by the KPU.
This was considered by the Constitutional Court in Decision Number 70/PUU-XXII/2024 petitioned by Anthony Lee and Fahrur Rozi, Tuesday (20/8/2024).
“The minimum age requirement must be met by candidates for regional heads and candidates for deputy regional heads when registering themselves as candidates,” said Deputy Chairperson of the Constitutional Court Saldi Isra in the decision reading session.
“The point or limit to determine the minimum age is carried out in the nomination process which leads to the determination of candidates for regional heads and candidates for deputy regional heads,” he said.
This article has been published on Kompas.com with the title “DPR Approves PKPU Pilkada, Perludem: Don’t Feel Like a Hero”, https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2024/08/25/13384791/dpr-setujui-pkpu-pilkada-perludem-jangan-merasa-seperti-pahlawan.