Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) researcher Arya Fernandes has suggested the government to conduct an assessment of the system of an open proportional general election to reduce the likelihood of money politics.
“In many studies, it was found that the open proportional system has greater potential in increasing the use of money politics,” Fernandes remarked during a discussion at a seminar “Weighing the 2024 General Election System: Notes and Suggestions” here on Monday.
Based on those findings, he encourages stakeholders, especially the government, to review the extent to which the open proportional general election system contributed to reducing the likelihood of money politics and other unfair ways that can affect the election process.
In addition to measuring the election system’s impact on money politics, he affirmed that the CSIS has set several indicators that are crucial for conducting an evaluation.
Fernandes opined that the evaluation aimed at assessing whether the open proportional election system has a good or dire impact on Indonesian politics.
The researcher noted that the first indicator was representation. The factor becomes a key to establishing board members, such as the House of Representatives (DPR RI) or the Regional Legislative Bodies (DPRD).
Moreover, the key factor targets to bring the community closer to the board, so each aspiration voiced by the public can be directly processed into a policy by the House.
Fernandes affirmed that another imminent factor is the ability of the election system in improving the quality of the elected candidates.
“A good system should also enhance the quality of elected members of the House of Representatives,” he remarked.
Fernandes noted that the subsequent indicator is the system’s capability to upgrade institutions in political parties.
Through a good electoral system, political parties will become well managed, more modern, and have a greater process of selecting their cadres, he expounded.
“A political party is not like a football team. They cannot simply pick a ‘player’ from other groups,” Fernandes noted.
Source: Antara News