Protect Healthy Democracy

KOMPAS/A PONCO ANGGORO

Screenshot of the public test draft of the KPU Regulation on Stages, Programs and Schedule for the 2020 elections which is held virtually by the General Election Commission, on Saturday (16/5/2020).

Protecting public health and a healthy democracy must be the General Elections Commission’s (KPU) uncompromised main priority this year. In a meeting on Wednesday (27/5/2020) between the House of Representatives Commission II, the KPU, the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), the Elections Organization Ethics Council (DKPP) and Home Ministry Tito Karnavian as government representative, it was agreed that simultaneous elections would go on in 270 regions amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

A letter from the national Covid-19 mitigation task force was among the points of consideration. The letter cited that there was no end in sight for the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the stages leading to the 2020 regional elections can go on with strict adherence to Covid-19 health protocols. Commitment from all relevant parties is required for this agreement. Among the important variables to curb the disease’s spread is through minimizing people’s interactions and mobility.

Also read: Outbreak Can Weaken Democracy

Meanwhile, all political activities, especially regional elections, will only increase interactions and mobility. In the meeting, everyone was committed to imposing strict Covid-19 prevention protocols in all election stages, the first of which will begin on June 15, 2020. Voting day is planned on December 9, 2020. The KPU has planned to commit to several adjustments in organizing the elections.

On voting day, voters and polling station officials must maintain a safe distance from one another.

Voters’ data verification, tiered vote recapitulations and campaigns will be carried out online. On voting day, voters and polling station officials must maintain a safe distance from one another. One polling station will only have 400 voters at most. The amount and area of polling stations will be increased. If the Covid-19 outbreak still poses a high level of danger, the use of mail-in ballots or traveling polling stations will be strongly considered.

KOMPAS/A PONCO ANGGORO

One of the materials presented by the KPU during a public test was the draft PKPU on the Stages, Programs, and Schedule for the Election of 2020, on Saturday (16/5/2020).

Various personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks, hazmat suits, gloves, face shields, hand soap, tissue and liquid disinfectant, will be provided. An additional budget of Rp 535.98 billion (US37.42 million) is planned on top of the original budget of Rp 14 trillion. Surely, this whole plan must not only look good on paper.

This must be properly implemented in 105,691 polling stations to ensure the safety of 105 million voters. Otherwise, this will be a disaster. Regional elections during a pandemic will only undermine public health instead of further nurturing our democracy. We have to consider that, in the 270 regions that will hold elections this year, there are 3,511 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

Some 71 percent of Covid-19-related deaths are in regions that will hold elections this year. Therefore, the KPU must work together with the Covid-19 task force to ensure proper tracing, testing, isolation and treatment for people with Covid-19 in these 270 regions. Only these four procedures will ensure which regions will be ready to hold elections in this new normal.