Challenges of the Parliamentary Threshold

  • Limiting Political Diversity:The application of a threshold can limit the participation of small and minority parties in the political system. This can result in the under-representation of the interests of minority groups in the policy-making process.
  • Weakening Democracy:A system with a threshold can weaken democracy by limiting the people's choices in electing their representatives. This is because the people's votes that are split among small parties that do not reach the threshold will be wasted.
  • Increasing Money Politics and Oligarchy:The threshold system can encourage money politics and oligarchy, because small parties will find it difficult to get seats in parliament without strong financial support.

Alternatives to the Parliamentary Threshold

  • Closed Proportional System:This system allocates parliamentary seats to political parties based on the proportion of votes obtained. This system allows small parties to gain seats in parliament, but can result in weak governments due to the large number of parties involved in the coalition.
  • Single District System:This system gives parliamentary seats to the candidate who gets the most votes in each electoral district. This system allows the people's voice to be represented more directly, but can lead to political fragmentation and unstable government.

History of the Parliamentary Threshold in Indonesia

In Indonesia, the parliamentary threshold was first applied in 2004. More details on the history of the application of the parliamentary threshold in Indonesia can be seen below:

  • 1999 Election: There was no threshold. 48 political parties (parpol) won seats in the DPR.
  • 2004 Election: The threshold was first applied with a size of 2%. 10 political parties won seats in the DPR.
  • 2009 Election: The threshold was raised to 2.5%. 9 political parties won seats in the DPR.
  • 2014 Election: The threshold was raised again to 3.5%. 10 political parties won seats in the DPR.
  • 2019 Election: The threshold was raised to 4%. 9 political parties won seats in the DPR.