Calls to Postpone Regional Elections Grow
Calls to postpone the 2020 simultaneous regional elections are growing. Even so, the government is adamant that it will hold the elections this year.
Calls to postpone the 2020 simultaneous regional elections are growing. Even so, the government is adamant that it will hold the elections this year.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS— Various groups, including community organizations, nongovernmental organizations and epidemiologists, have urged the government to postpone the 2020 regional elections.
They fear that crowds could form during stages of the regional elections and could generate new COVID-19 clusters in a number of regions.
The executive board of Islamic mass organization Nahdlatul Ulama, the House of Representatives and the General Elections Commission (KPU) have called on the government to postpone the 2020 regional elections. Despite the implementation of strict health protocols, the regional elections, which involve more than 100 million people, may be unable avoid the formation of crowds. The potential for the emergence of new clusters of COVID-19 during the elections is enormous.
"Nahdlatul Ulama is of the opinion that protecting the lives of the people (hifdz al-nafs) with health protocols is as important as maintaining the economy (hifdzal-mâl) of the society. However, as COVID-19 has reached an emergency level, the main priority of the policy should be overcoming the health crisis," said NU chairman Said Aqil Siroj.
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The general secretary of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive Board, Abdul Mu\'ti, said that Muhammadiyah had not yet determined its position on the 2020 regional elections. He said the institution’s position on the matter would be decided on Monday (21/9/2020).
Former Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla called on Sunday for the postponement of the regional elections until a COVID-19 vaccine was found. The delay would be needed for the health and safety of the people, he said.
Public safety and health are very important amid the continuing rise of new COVID-19 cases in the country. Many people involved in the preparation of the elections, including the chairman of the KPU and a number of officials from several other election organizations, have caught COVID-19. In fact, some of the prospective candidates have also contracted the disease.Also read: Regional Elections, Pandemic and Threats of Recession
The executive director of pollster Indo Barometer, Muhammad Qodari, said the government should anticipate large crowds during campaigns and voting to the prevent the transmission of COVID-19. "It\'s hard to imagine that candidates tested positive for COVID-19 and that KPU and Bawaslu [elections supervisory agency] commissioners are infected with COVID-19. Is this a COVID-19 festival or the regional elections?" he said.
University of Indonesia epidemiologist Iwan Ariawan believes the epidemic curve is still rising and not under control. He said that no one knew when the pandemic would end. If the number of new COVID-19 cases continued to increase, he said, it was estimated that the pandemic could last until 2022. "The prediction does not include new clusters that may emerge during the elections," he said.
The current rate of transmission of COVID-19 was 0.2 additional people infected per case per day.
Iwan said campaign events would expose people to a high risk of infection. If about 100 people gathered, it was almost certain that one of them had COVID-19. The current rate of transmission of COVID-19 was 0.2 additional people infected per case per day.
Iwan predicted that during the campaign, there would be about 1,042,280 gatherings with at least 100 people. If a direct campaign was carried out, he said, it would have the potential to add 2,084,560 new COVID-19 cases.
KPU commissioner Hasyim Asy\'ari said that based on Law No. 6/2020, regional elections could be postponed in part or in full because of riots, security disturbances, natural disasters, nonnatural disasters or disturbances. However, the postponement had to be approved by the KPU, the government and the House.
Keep going
Despite the growing calls for the postponement of the 2020 regional elections, the government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, is adamant that it will go on with the elections because there is no certainty when the COVID-19 pandemic will end, even if the elections are delayed until next year.
However, in order to prevent mass transmission of the disease during the elections, the Home Ministry has prepared two legal instruments: a Government Regulation in Lieu of a Law (Perppu) and a revision to a KPU Regulation. Home Minister Tito Karnavian said in a webinar titled "Strategy to decrease COVID-19 and boost the economy”, held by the Indonesian Democracy Study Group (KSDI) in Jakarta on Sunday, that no one could guarantee that the pandemic would be over in 2020. Therefore, he considered the existing regional elections scenario the best option.
Tito added that in order to be successful in the regional elections, candidates should make the pandemic and its socioeconomic impacts a core part of their campaign efforts.
With this theme, the candidates would debate their ideas and take action, he claimed, and all health protocol tools would be used as demonstrations in campaigns, resulting in the mass distribution of personal protective equipment.
"In fact, if this effort goes correctly, the regions will work more seriously to deal with COVID-19. So, this moment, if it is properly handled, could become a golden opportunity," said Tito.
The day before, while in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Tito said that the regional elections – which will be held in 270 regions, nine of which will be at the provincial level – needed regulations to prevent crowds and ensure mask wearing. He said the regulations should also require the candidates to distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) while holding campaign events. "The distributed PPEs can carry the names and the number of the participants from the KPU."
The Perppu was needed, he said, because there was no specific law regarding handling COVID-19.
Regarding the two proposed regulations in lieu of law (Perppu), Tito said the first Perppu would regulate everything from the prevention and handling of COVID-19 to law enforcement. The Perppu was needed, he said, because there was no specific law regarding handling COVID-19. "But there is a risk, if it is issued, that there may be a conflict with fellow civil society members. Democratic activists may think this Perppu prohibits conveying opinions in public or other activities. It\'s a dilemma," said Tito.
The second Perppu, said Tito, would specifically regulate COVID-19 protocols and their sanctions for the 2020 regional elections and the village head elections, the second of which have been postponed by the Home Ministry.
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Tito said administrative and criminal sanctions would be used to enforce the protocols. Candidates would be given first, second and third administrative warnings and could later be disqualified.
Until the candidates were approved, Tito said, the warnings had go through the Integrated Law Enforcement Center. (BOW/DEA/HAR)