Most Indonesian Citizens Approve of a Presidential Advisory Body

The Indonesian House of Representatives' Legislation Body approved a revision to Law Number 19 of 2006 concerning the Presidential Advisory Council.

Substantive changes in the article include renaming the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) to the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA), establishing the DPA as a state institution, and making the number of DPA members uncapped, to be adjusted to the president's needs.

According to a Kompas Research and Development (Litbang Kompas) survey, a majority, or 81.2%, of respondents agreed with the existence of an institution tasked with advising the president.

Furthermore, 16.1% of respondents disagreed, and 2.7% did not know.

Litbang Kompas also recorded public opinion regarding the proposal to include former presidents and vice presidents in the DPA.

47.1% of respondents agreed with this. Meanwhile, 48% disagreed, arguing that the DPA could be filled by anyone without necessarily involving former presidents and vice presidents.

"This divided opinion confirms that former presidents or vice presidents could be members, but it's not a requirement, as it's open to anyone," said the Litbang Kompas team in its report on Monday (August 5, 2024).

This Litbang Kompas survey involved 530 respondents across 38 Indonesian provinces, selected randomly and proportionally.

Data collection was conducted from July 22-24, 2024, through telephone interviews. The survey's margin of error is approximately 4.32%, with a 95% confidence level, under conditions of simple random sampling.