Tatang Guritno, Jakarta – A Kompas Research and Development (Litbang Kompas) survey in July shows that the majority of respondents do not agree with extending village heads' terms in office to nine years.
As many as 84.8 percent of respondents in urban areas do not agree with nine-year terms for village heads. Meanwhile the percentage of respondents who object to this in rural areas is 82.6 percent.
Meanwhile 59.8 percent of respondents in urban areas prefer that village heads' term in office remain at six years. As many as 57.1 percent of respondents in rural areas meanwhile stated the same thing, namely that they prefer the term in office to remain at six years.
Furthermore, 73.3 percent of respondents in urban areas want village heads to serve a maximum of two periods only instead of the current three. While 72.9 of respondents in rural areas also agree with this.
The Litbang Kompas survey took place on July 11-13 and interviewed 510 respondents from 34 provinces. The sample was determined by random from a Litbang Kompas panel in proportion with the population in each province.
Using this method, the survey had a 95 percent level of confidence and a 4.35 percent margin of error.
As has been reported, the House of Representatives (DPR) is in the middle of endeavoring to revise Law Number 6/2014 on Villages (RUU Desa). The DPR's Working Committee (Panja) has already agreed to include 19 changes in the revision to the law.
One of these is increasing village heads' terms in office from six years to nine years for each of the three periods they are currently allowed to serve.
Notes
The DPR has been accused of pork barrel politics by trying to rush through the revisions to the Village Law – which will see village heads' terms in office increased to nine years from the current six – in the hope that influential village officials will garner electoral support for legislators and the political parties ahead of the 2024 elections.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Survei Litbang "Kompas": Mayoritas Responden Tak Setuju Jabatan Kepala Desa 9 Tahun".]
