JakartaPost-Sept 16
A fresh proposal to extend the tenure of village heads and abolish village elections to save money for President Prabowo Subianto’s costly signature programs has drawn flak from critics over the risk of undermining democracy and weakening accountability at the local level. The idea was raised by a group of village chiefs, whose terms are due to expire, during a meeting last Wednesday with House of Representatives leaders in Jakarta, led by deputy speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, a politician from Prabowo’s Gerindra Party. The group demanded a halt in the ongoing preparations for village head elections in some areas, citing unresolved challenges, including the absence of technical regulations from the Home Ministry. The group proposed that village heads whose terms are about to end be allowed to remain in office despite having already served the maximum term, arguing that this would reduce election-related spending, in line with the government’s ongoing push for budget efficiency. Some village heads have also proposed removing term limits altogether on the grounds that this would ensure continuity and stability in the village administrations needed to help roll out government programs, including the free nutritious meal and Red and White Cooperatives programs. Some 36,000 village heads across the country are expected to complete their terms between 2026 and 2029, after a controversial 2024 revision to the Village Law extended their tenure from six to eight years. Approved by the House and the administration of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo just a week before the February 2024 presidential race, the revision at the time was seen as politically motivated, after several groups of village chiefs publicly backed Jokowi’s preferred successor Prabowo and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son. The fresh proposal was quick to draw backlash from experts and politicians who warned that further prolonged tenure among village heads could foster political monopolies and weaken democracy at the local level. Djohermansyah Djohan, a professor at the Institute of Public Administration (IPDN), warned that fiscal constraints should not be used as a justification to curtail the right of people to elect their own leaders. “Democracy does cost money. But democracy is far cheaper than the cost of uncontrolled power,” he said.
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