"President SBY is the father of democracy. He is the originator of direct democracy. So, he supports direct elections," Ruhut Sitompul noted here on Wednesday.
He noted that the Democrat Party decided to opt for direct regional elections in a bid to establish a government that was devoid of money politics.
Meanwhile, Ruhut remarked that holding direct regional elections was a form of real democracy and became a liability for his party in supporting the efforts.
Ruhuts statement is related to the decision taken by the Democrat Party that supports direct regional elections and the Jokowi camps agenda after joining the Red-White Coalition.
He affirmed that if there were some cadres who disagreed with the partys decision, then they were still living in the past.
"Democrat Party is different from all the parties and if SBY said A, so all have to follow the same," Ruhut emphasized.
Earlier, President Yudhoyonos Democrat Party had openly declared support for the continuation of the direct system of electing regional heads.
"However, the party has a 10-point requirement (with regard to its implementation). If all the notes are included in the bill, the Democrat Party will support the direct system of regional head elections," the partys associate chairman Syarief Hasan stated here on September 18, 2014.
The ten requirements were public examination into the integrity and competence of regional head candidates, cost efficiency, campaign rules and limitation of outdoor rallies apart from campaign fund accountability, a ban on using a political party as a vehicle for renting or paying parties to be nominated as their candidates, and slander and black campaigning.
(Uu.A063/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
