He highlighted the importance of academic input during a ceremonial event organized by the alumni association of the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) in Jakarta on Friday (April 25), according to a statement from his office cited here on Saturday.
"UII, with its large number of intellectuals, can contribute to this effort by conducting studies that can serve as a reference for the government and the DPR, the legislative body that holds the authority to amend the Regional Election Law," he noted.
In this context, Karnavian referred to the regional head elections that took place simultaneously across hundreds of regions in Indonesia on November 27 of last year.
The minister highlighted that, despite Indonesia's success in organizing democratic events on such a massive scale, some regions had to hold repeat elections, which ultimately hindered the effectiveness of local administrations.
In light of this, the former National Police (Polri) chief encouraged higher education institutions to conduct evaluative studies to assist the government in identifying the best ways to improve the quality of the electoral system.
He then emphasized the current system, where regional leaders are elected directly by their people, noting that this system provides chosen regional heads with strong legitimacy from their constituents.
"This approach also gives opportunities to prospective leaders who might not have the same privilege if regional heads were elected through appointments," he explained.
However, Karnavian acknowledged that direct elections are not without flaws, pointing out that they involve higher costs and the potential for conflict.
Given these challenges, the minister reiterated the importance of evaluating the current system to ensure that elections remain a tangible manifestation of democratic values without compromising accountability.
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Translator: Narda M, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Primayanti
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