A number of candidates contesting the 2020 regional elections (Pilkada) have tested positive for Covid-19 during the registration stage.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·5 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The fears raised by civil society organizations several months ago that the 2020 regional elections will accelerate and spread Covid-19 further have now proven true. The government and election administrators are encouraged to take serious actions in preparing a variety of mitigation measures by strengthening both rules and sanctions, including determining the points at which the stages of the regional elections must be postponed due to continued noncompliance with the Covid-19 health protocol and possible mushrooming of infection clusters at electoral events.
During the three-day candidate registration stage of the 2020 regional elections, held from 4-6 Sept. in 270 regions, some candidate pairs were seen accompanied by crowds of supporters, even a public procession, as they headed to register at their local election office. The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) recorded 243 health protocol violations during the candidate registration.
Moreover, data gathered by the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Monday (7/9/2020) afternoon showed that 46 regional head candidates and deputy regional head candidates in 17 provinces had tested positive for Covid-19. A number of election supervisors have also reported confirmed Covid-19 cases. In Boyolali regency, Central Java, 96 ad hoc election supervisors in 18 districts were found to be positive with Covid-19.
Officials of the General Elections Commission (KPU) at several regional offices will also have swab tests, because some candidates who were infected with Covid-19 took part in the registration, such as in Binjai, North Sumatra, and in Muna, Southeast Sulawesi. In fact, the KPU permitted only those prospective candidate pairs with negative test results to be present at the registration venue.
KPU member Hasyim Asy\'ari said that the electoral commission had implemented a number of regulations and protocols to anticipate holding the 2020 regional elections amid the Covid-19 health crisis. However, violations still occurred, including candidates who were coronavirus-positive arriving at the election offices to register. Moreover, the prospective candidates still held mass gatherings during the registration process, even outside their local KPU.
General chairman Haedar Nashir of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive Board pointed out that holding the regional elections while the number of Covid-19 cases was still relatively high presented a high risk of transmission. Even though holding the 2020 regional elections had legal, political and moral grounds, the threat of the Covid-19 epidemic must still be a major concern and consideration.
"The Pilkada should not become a center of infection, which would make it even harder for the country to manage Covid-19. Politics and democracy are important, but do not add to the people’s burden during the pandemic. Especially to the point of sacrificing the lives of fellow children of the nation," he said.
Haedar highlighted that candidate pairs in almost all regions had organized mass gatherings.
Politics and democracy are important, but do not add to the people’s burden during the pandemic.
"We are saddened to see the raucous crowds. A number of regional head candidates who were going to register at the KPU were followed by large parades without restrictions on the number of people and without [following] the health protocol. In fact, the duration of the electoral cycle is quite long. We have not yet entered the campaign stage, which is usually vulnerable," he said.
Chairman Bambang Soesatyo of the People\'s Consultative Assembly expressed similar concerns. According to him, the stages of the regional elections caused immediate alarm at the many instances of violating the Covid-19 health protocol.
According to University of Indonesia epidemiologist Syahrizal Syarif, the 2020 regional elections did not need to be postponed at this stage, despite the number of violations. However, election organizers and electoral participants must adhere strictly to the health protocol, so the government must reinforce the existing sanctions against violators.
"The sanctions must be a deterrent, otherwise they’re useless," he said.
Program manager Fadli Ramadhanil of the Society for Elections and Democracy urged the government and election administrators to implement mitigation measures to enforce the health protocol. He said that if election organizers could not ensure strict compliance with the health protocol, however, the 2020 regional elections must be postponed.
"[This way], the regional elections will not become a new [cluster] of Covid-19 transmission," he said.
Law No. 6/2020, which derives from regulation in lieu of law No. 2/2020, provides leeway for postponing the simultaneous elections if the polls cannot be held in December due to the continuing health crisis. In such circumstances, the regional elections are to be postponed and rescheduled for a date after the epidemic subsides.
Before the elections were set for 9 Dec. 2020, civil society groups pushed for the elections to be postponed to 2021, fearing that the 2020 Pilkada would only create new clusters of Covid-19 transmission.
Assertive attitude
President Joko Widodo has instructed the Home Ministry and the Bawaslu to be strict in enforcing the KPU regulations. A warning should be issued to those who violated the Covid-19 health protocol.
"If Covid-19 management is fine, if [public] health is fine, the economy will also be fine. Be wary of office clusters, family clusters and Pilkada clusters,” the President said.
Separately, Bawaslu chair Abhan said that the agency had taken precautionary measures by reminding political parties prior to the registration not to hold large gatherings of supporters at this stage of the elections. Regarding sanctions, the Bawaslu could recommend the KPU to impose administrative sanctions on any prospective candidates who violated the health protocol.
We are considering penalty options against candidates who repeatedly violate [the protocol].
Meanwhile, regional autonomy director general Akmal Malik at the Home Ministry said that as of Monday, the ministry had issued 51 warning letters to regional officials for electoral violations, including health protocol violations.
"We are considering penalty options against candidates who repeatedly violate [the protocol]. We will impose sanctions that postpone their inauguration by sending them to a six-month [training course] before they can be inaugurated. Options like these are under consideration,” he said.