The renewed push by Gerindra to revive indirect local elections—allowing governors, mayors, and regents to be selected by local legislatures (DPRD) instead of citizens—has reignited an old debate that Indonesia thought it had settled a decade ago. The argument being sold to the public sounds pragmatic: elections are expensive, polarizing, and prone to money politics. But beneath the rhetoric of “efficiency” lies a more troubling political ambition—one that risks shrinking democratic space and returning power to the hands of party elites. To subscribe please click here
