Presidential Threshold 20% is Very Proportional

The ratification of the Bill on Election as a law that has been endorsed by the acclamation in the plenary session of the House of Representatives on July 21, 2017, until now still continues to be the discussion of the alotpara national political elite. Laws regulating the livelihood of political parties in Indonesia still drag the requirements of the Presidential Threshold of 20% of the seats or 25 per cent of the national legitimate votes, since the amount of Presidential Threshold is very influential in the political constellation in the 2019 election.
 
In Article 9 of Law no. 42 of 2008 concerning the Election of President and Vice President stated that the Candidate Pair is proposed by Political Parties or Combined Political Parties participating in the election which fulfill the seat requirement requirement of at least 20 percent of the total seats of Parliament or get 25 percent of the national valid votes in the General Election of members of DPR, The election of President and Vice President. However, the existence of Presidential Threshold for some politicians is feared to give side effects on the stagnation of national leadership circulation, because the nomination mechanism for the nomination of the President and his Deputy is considered to be narrowed only to the big party.

The Presidential Threshold rule basically has a very good intention, namely to ensure the President gets the support of the majority vote in parliament when running the government. Full parliamentary support for every Presidential policy especially aimed at accelerating development and improving people's welfare is urgently needed. However, by presenting one of the functions of the legislature, the supervisory function has the duty and authority to supervise the implementation of the Law, State Budget and Government policy, and to discuss and follow up on the results of supervision submitted by the DPD (related to the implementation of the Law on Regional Autonomy, Formation, Regions, the management of natural resources and other SDE, the implementation of state budget, taxes, education and religion).

The determination of Presidential Threshold based on the acquisition of seats by at least 20 percent of the total seats of the DPR or obtaining 25 percent of the national legitimate votes will also benefit the Political Parties to make the coalition as a unification of strength or in other words strengthen the political parties and parliament. Like a broom stick one by one after being combined into one will be strong and sturdy.

With the coalition will support the way the Government, the Government's policies for the benefit of the people will be faster to be realized so as to create good cooperation for the progress of the State. So the existence of Presidential Threshold is not a form of systemic strengthening of the Political Party oligarchy.
Rather as a form of harmonization of consolidation between the Government as the executor of the wheels of Government and the House of Representatives as a legislative council which has 3 basic functions namely the function of legislation, budget function and supervisory function, which strengthens the position of the legislative body. In addition, the realization of Presidential Threshold is not a problem, as long as the existing political parties are able to walk professionally and promote a healthy political democracy by upholding the interests of all Indonesian people.
 
Minister of Home Affairs, Tjahjo Kumolo to assert that the Presidential Threshold is not intended to prevent the emergence of other presidential candidates. The formulation of the election law which has been arranged has been arranged by the Political Party coalition in proposing the candidate of Capres-Cawapres should not cause other party coalition can not propose the vice-presidential candidate. Thus the coalition formed is expected to be based on a common vision, not a pragmatic mission. The Government's affirmation through the Minister of Home Affairs directly as an answer to the discussion about the determination of Presidential Threshold in the Election Law. So far, the Presidential Threshold option is 20 percent parliamentary seat or 25 percent of the national vote, which carried PDIP, Golkar, PKB, PPP, Nadem and Hanura. The second option eliminated the Presidential Threshold which was pushed by Gerindra, Democrat, PKS and PAN. Gerindra and its alliances accused the Presidential Threshold of 20 percent was just a ruse of the coalition Government with PDIP to smooth Jokowi's candidacy in the 2019 Election, and hampered Prabowo's candidacy. But the accusation was denied by the Government.

The argument that wants Presidential Threshold to be held is indeed a political aspiration of some political parties and it is undeniable that political transactions have the potential to ignore the interests of the people. Considering, if the Presidential Threshold is large, then a small party whose chair is ambitious to run for President feel inhibited. Because it arises anxiety and fear if they can not exceed the Presidential Threshold 20 percent.

In fact, if further observed, the process of Presidential Election and Vice Presidential candidates should require real support as the election of legislative members. The real support is seen from the number of votes obtained by Political Parties in the legislative elections, because the political party is a representation of the Indonesian people's voice. One form of legitimacy of a Political Party is election. For that reason, a qualified vice presidential candidate must be supported by real political parties that have been proven by the people, with the orientation of strengthening the presidential system. Not only supported by the party and have abundant wealth, and only think that the champion can be smoothly carried the Candidate and Candidate in the 2019 election.

In the presidential election in 2009, SBY was elected by using the system of Presidential Threshold 20 percent. And actually the Presidential Threshold determination of 20 percent in two Presidential Opportunities proved successful applied. But why in 2017, through a meeting between Prabowo with SBY in Puri Cikeas, Bogor West Java on July 27, 2017, as if feeling the same political unease with the determination of Presidential Threshold 20 percent and even fight for Presidential Threshold 0 percent. The 20 percent Presidential Threshold system is actually more prestigious and honorable, because the Presidential Threshold aims to improve the quality of political democracy and the strengthening of the presidential system by selecting a qualified candidate and vice president, through the real support of well-tested Political Parties, as well as forming a coalition of Governments Which is getting stronger, so more focus in running the wheels of government.

Prabowo's two consecutive defeats and SBY's political constellation, which until now has no centrist figure to replace him as presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election, which makes a frightening specter with the 20 percent Presidential Threshold. However, all of that is expected to not affect the public mind that the 20 percent Presidential Threshold that has been passed through the Election Law as a false and undemocratic concept.

The political maneuvers of the political elite should not sacrifice the people, because what the people want is only the welfare and the improvement of the economy through various policies of the pro-people Government. It will only be achieved if the Government focuses on accelerated development programs by obtaining the full support of legislative bodies that are representative of the popular vote.
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*) Social and Political Observer. Live in Kuningan, West Java.