Campaign Behavior Remains Unchanged, Despite Pandemic

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

A dancer performs a welcome dance at an event for Surabaya mayoral candidates to draw their ballot numbers on Thursday (24/9/2020) at the Hotel Singgasana in Surabaya, East Java. Candidate pair Eri Cahyadi-Armuji drew No. 1 while the Machfud Arifin-Mujiaman Sukirno pair drew No. 2. The simultaneous regional elections are scheduled for 9 Dec. 2020.

Physical contact continues to be prevalent in the campaigns of candidates contesting the 2020 regional elections. Public campaigns are frequently being held without proper implementation of the health protocols.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The methods that the candidates contesting the 2020 simultaneous regional elections (Pilkada 2020) have used during the first week of the campaign period have remained unchanged, with most candidates still prefer holding mass gatherings to lure potential voters. These public gatherings pose a high risk of Covid-19 transmission, as they are often held without proper compliance with the health protocols.

Also read: COVID-19 Health Protocol Violations Increase

According to the campaign monitoring results of the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), 43 percent of the 582 campaign activities conducted in 187 regencies/cities on 28-30 Sept. involved in-person meetings and mass gatherings, including events for passing out campaign paraphernalia (22 percent), staged events that used props (17 percent) and campaigns on social media (11 percent), as well as several other methods. The breakdown of the types and methods of events is not very different from activities on the first two days of the campaign period on 26-27 Sept.

The Pilkada 2020 campaign period runs through 5 Dec. 2020.

Physical campaign events remain the dominant method, as most candidate pairs of the Pilkada 2020 still believe this method to be more effective in attracting potential voters. According to campaign manager Hilal Hilmawan of the Daniel Mutaqien-Taufik Hidayat candidate pair, who are running for regent and vice regent of Indramayu, West Java, physical events still remained the preferred campaigning method. He added that online campaigns were ineffective in Indramayu, because many potential voters were unfamiliar with digital technology, like smartphones and the internet. The local people also preferred physical events.

Hilal added that in a single day, the campaign team was able to visit four to six locations, and that the team also used social media to attract potential voters.

In Jambi, Desi Ariyanto, the campaign spokesman of the Cek Endra-Ratu Munawaroh ticket running in the Jambi gubernatorial election, said that her team would prioritize minimizing physical gatherings in their efforts to attract the potential grassroots voters.

“With this method, large crowds can be prevented,” she added.

Risk of in-person campaigns

In-person methods should employ strict implementation of the health protocols, according to M. Afifuddin of the Bawaslu.

"This campaigning [method] has the potential to increase the spread of Covid-19. Therefore, we must be careful, " he said.

Also read: Voting Right and Right to Life

He reiterated that violations of the health protocols appeared to be on the rise during the campaign period, although the number of incidents was still relatively small. On 23-27 Sept., violations occurred in 35 regencies and cities, while violations were recorded in 19 regions on 26-27 Sept.

Some areas have reported that a number of potential candidates for the Pilkada 2020 have died of Covid-19.

In the meantime, data from the Covid-19 Handling Task Force shows that the daily tally of new cases in the country has totaled 4,174 cases, bringing the nationwide cumulative of confirmed cases to 291,182. Some areas have reported that a number of potential candidates for the Pilkada 2020 have died of Covid-19.

On Thursday, Adi Darma, the mayoral candidate for Bontang in East Kalimantan, reportedly died of Covid-19. Adi is the second Pilkada 2020 candidate in East Kalimantan to die of Covid-19. On 22 Sept., Berau Regent Muharram, who was running for reelection, died of Covid-19.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Costumed performers representing the two mascots of the Surabaya mayoral election, SiRoy (left) and SiBoy, wave the national flat during the “Peaceful Election Declaration” event on Saturday (26/9/2020) at the Hotel Singgasana in Surabaya, East Java. Election candidates declared their commitment to upholding peace and safety during all election stages at the event, organized by the Surabaya General Elections Commission (KPU).

National coordinator Alwan Ola Riantobi of the Grassroots Voter Education Network (JPPR), said that the majority of candidates still lacked commitment to employing new campaign methods in order to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

"Political parties and candidate pairs are still reluctant to use safe campaign methods, and still prefer in-person methods," he said.

In connection with the issue, I Dewa Kade Wiarsa Raka Sandi of the General Elections Commission (KPU) said that the commission was continuing its efforts to encourage candidates to campaign online. If any violations occurred, he hoped that the regional officials and local law enforcement would use their authority to impose the appropriate sanction according to the prevailing regulations.

Also read: Candidates Announced as COVID-19 Risks Rise

Conventional meetings were still the preferred option in several developed and developing countries that were holding elections in the middle of the pandemic, because this method allowed voters to interact directly with their candidates, said Titi Anggraini, who sits on the advisory council of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem). Unfortunately, Titi said, the KPU, the House of Representatives (DPR), and the government were unaware of the increasing trend in health protocol violations among candidates when they decided to go ahead with the Pilkada 2020 as planned.

"In the end, the violations occurred and the health protocols were ignored. To make matters worse, the [available] legal instruments are far from adequate in enforcing the compliance of candidates and their campaign teams,” she said.

Civil society organizations and the public have urged the government to issue a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to reinforce sanctions for election participants who violate the health protocols at any stage of the Pilkada 2020.

Sanctions for violators of the health protocols were adequately regulated in the existing legal instruments, he added.

In response, the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud M.D. said that a Perppu was as yet unnecessary to regulate sanctions for health protocol violations during the campaign period. Sanctions for violators of the health protocols were adequately regulated in the existing legal instruments, he added.

Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta

Costumed mascots of the Surabaya mayoral election, SiRoy (left) and SiBoy, perform during the “Peaceful Election Declaration” event on Saturday (26/9/2020) at the Hotel Singgasana in Surabaya, East Java. Election candidates declared their commitment to upholding peace and safety during all election stages at the event, organized by the Surabaya General Elections Commission (KPU).

Mahfud also said that only a relatively small number of health protocol violations had occurred since the start of the campaign period when compared to the 270 regions that were holding an election. He continued that even the types of violations were not fatal, with most related to wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing, and holding in-person meetings that involved more than 50 people. After all, he said, the Bawaslu and the police had already imposed sanctions on such violations.

"The PP Satpol [Public Order Agency], assisted by the [Indonesian Military and National Police], as well as monitoring by the Home Ministry, can manage it. Until now, I haven’t thought that the Perppu is necessary. Whether there is or isn’t a Perppu, the legal instruments and apparatuses will be the same,” he said.

Also read: Strict Action and Sanctions Imperative

While the total number of violations remained small, said Mahfud, it was not enough to justify the issuance of a Perppu. The Bawaslu and the police must therefore continue to work together in handling any violations according to their respective duties and functions. (DEA/BOW/CIP/FLO/RTG/IKI/ITA/NTA)