Time for the People to Decide

Foto 4 HAL 1: HL Pemilu

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

A motorcyclist and his passenger drive past a mural on Tuesday (4/16/2019) on Jl. R.M. Margono Djojohadikoesoemo in Karet Tengsin, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. The mural urges people to vote in the 2019 election and make it a success on Wednesday, when more than 190 million Indonesians will head to polling stations (TPS) to elect their president and representatives at national and regional legislative bodies.

Around 190 million Indonesians will determine the republic’s future at today’s elections.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS— The 2019 election on Wednesday (4/17/2019) is the culmination of the electoral process that began 20 months ago that involved a large amount of funds and manpower. The people will today determine the leaders that will take Indonesia into the future.

More than 190 million domestic voters will cast their ballots at 810,000 polling stations (TPS) across the country, which will be manned by 6.4 million election supervisors, including the polling station committees (KPPS). This figure does not include election monitors and security personnel.

“The state has allocated many resources for the 2019 election. Let us use them by exercising our right to vote,” said General Elections Commission (KPU) official Wahyu Setiawan on Tuesday (4/16) in Jakarta.

Wahyu said that voter participation was a direct manifestation of people’s sovereignty. The essence and substance of the election could not be achieved without public participation, and its success depended highly on people exercising their suffrage.

The 2019 election is the first in the country to hold the presidential and legislative elections concurrently, with the latter electing members to the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and the provincial and regency/municipal legislative councils (DPRDs). In addition to the two presidential pairs of Joko Widodo-Ma’ruf Amin and Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno, around 300,000 legislative candidates are vying for 575 House seats, 136 DPD seats, 2,207 provincial DPRD seats and 17,610 regency/municipal DPRD seats.

Democracy

The 2019 election could be the first step towards improving Indonesia’s democracy, which has stagnated over the last few years. According to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2018 World Democracy Index, Indonesia has maintained an index of 6.39 in the last two years. The higher a country scores on the index scale of 0-10, the more vibrant its democracy. Indonesia’s democracy has stagnated in the areas of political culture, civil freedoms and political participation.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political researcher Firman Noor said that political participation would be tested at today’s polls. Voter turnout would reflect their expectations for the executive and legislative bodies in improving the quality of democracy in the country.

“The people are expected to use this election to make a difference. Their participation in the election will indicate how healthy our democracy is,” said Firman.

The KPU has set a target of 77.5 percent voter turnout at this year’s election. In comparison, the 2014 legislative election saw voter turnout of 75.1 percent, while the first direct election of the Reform Era in 1999 saw voter turnout of more than 90 percent.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Local residents cover tables against a backdrop of the Indonesian archipelago and images of the nation’s cultural diversity on Tuesday (4/16/2019) at TPS 07 in Panggung Lor subdistrict of Semarang, Central Java. Residents across the nation, from big cities to remote towns, have decorated local polling stations with various themes to encourage voters to turn up for the simultaneous presidential-legislative elections on Wednesday.

Improving policy

The level of political participation cannot be determined only through voter turnout at polling stations (TPS), and also involves the wise use of the right to vote.

LIPI political researcher Syarif Hidayat said that political participation would ideally involve the state administration improving policies in response to the people’s aspirations as reflected in their votes.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) reminded the people to vote for credible candidates. “Let us vote for candidates who are honest, trustworthy, intelligent and possess integrity. Do not forget to look at and scrutinize their track records. Let us strive together for an honest and peaceful election,” said KPK chair Agus Rahardjo.

Agus further explained that the absence of money politics was among the benchmarks of an honest and peaceful election.

LIPI’s Syarif said that the quality of democracy could be measured from the maturity of the presidential and legislative candidates in conceding defeat and maintaining the peace after the election on Wednesday.

“The candidates are expected to demonstrate democratic maturity after [the election]. If these candidates have difficulties with accepting defeat and decide to mobilize their supporters, our democracy is no longer stagnant. Instead, it will experience a setback,” he said.

Ma’ruf Amin, Jokowi’s running mate, urged his supporters to stay calm, no matter the results of the quick count. He also called upon the people to be active in monitoring the polls and vote tabulation.

“Anyone who finds evidence of fraud, file a report in line with the [election] mechanisms and regulations. Respond to the election in a mature way,” said Ma’ruf.

Prabowo’s running mate Sandiaga Uno echoed Ma’ruf’s statement. After visiting the office of People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, Sandiaga expressed his hope that the election would be accountable and credible, which would prove that Indonesia was an advanced democracy.

“I hope the election is smooth, honest and fair. We hope that this will something we can be proud of,” he said.

Election materials

The KPU announced on Tuesday that the majority of election materials had reached all TPS throughout the country. The KPU had also requested assistance from the Indonesian Military (TNI) to accelerate the distribution of election materials in several regions. “According to our calculations, all materials should have arrived at all polling stations by [D-day] minus 1, or this Tuesday,” said KPU official Wahyu Setiawan.

However, Papua reported that distribution had been delayed in 23 districts in Intan Jaya, Yahukimo and Tolikara regencies.

KPU Papua chair Theodorus Kossay said on Tuesday in Jayapura that logistics were delayed in 14 districts in Yahukimo, five districts in Tolikara and four districts in Intan Jaya.

“Distribution in the 23 districts were delayed due to bad weather. The districts can only be reached by helicopter and small aircraft,” he said.

Theodorus said KPU Papua had instructed the local KPUs in the three regencies to complete distributing the election materials to the 23 districts by 5 a.m. on Wednesday, adding that the KPU would make stringent efforts to ensure that voters in the regions would be able to vote on schedule.

Jamaluddin of the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) said that it would be difficult for people to vote on Wednesday in remote districts that had not received the election materials by Tuesday. This was because travel in the districts must be done on foot, which could take hours. “The election may be delayed in these regions,” he said. (AGE/REK/FRD/FLO/SAN)