Coordination To Determine Election Success

Coordination between election organizers, innovations and institutional independence will determine the quality of the 2024 elections.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Kompas XYZ Forum Discussion at Kompas Editor, Jakarta, Tuesday (1/3/2022). The discussions were carried out online and offline and were also attended by members of the KPU and regional Bawaslu at the provincial level throughout Indonesia. The theme in the discussion was Social Capital and the Challenges of Election Organizers Towards 2024.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A number of challenges must be overcome in preparation for the 2024 simultaneous elections and the 2024 simultaneous regional elections in the absence of any changes to the Elections Law and the Regional Head Election (Pilkada) Law. Coordination and understanding among election administrators, as well as creativity in the technical regulations are needed to answer these challenges.

At the same time, high public confidence can be good social capital for the election organizers. Kompas’ Research and Development (Litbang) poll on 10-13 February 2022, involving 508 respondents in 34 provinces, showed that 72.2 percent of respondents believed that the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) 2022-2027 would be able to organize the 2024 general elections better than the previous general elections.

The 2024 elections have been set to be held on 14 February 2024, while the simultaneous regional elections will be held on 27 November 2024.

As a consequence, the burden on the organizers, namely on the work patterns, inter-institutional relations and the capacity of supervisors, has increased

A Bawaslu member who has been reelected for the 2022-2027 period, Rahmat Bagja, said that in preparing for the 2024 general election and the 2024 regional head election, there were a number of challenges that needed to be overcome. The elections and the 2024 Pilkada use two different legal regimes. In addition, there were also stages between the two that intersect, as well as stages carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"As a consequence, the burden on the organizers, namely on the work patterns, inter-institutional relations and the capacity of supervisors, has increased," said Bagja in the Kompas XYZ Forum discussion held in a hybrid format at the Kompas editorial office in Jakarta, on Tuesday (1/3/2022).

The Kompas XYZ Forum was held to welcome the 2024 general election and the 2024 simultaneous regional head elections season. Also present offline as speakers was KPU member for the 2017-2022 period also reelected for 2022-2027, Hasyim Asy'ari, and House Commission II deputy chairman Saan Mustopa. Meanwhile, Airlangga University’s professor of political science Ramlan Surbakti was present online.

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The discussion, which was opened by vice president director of Kompas Daily, Budiman Tanuredjo, and moderated by Kompas Daily chief editor Sutta Dharmasaputra, was also attended by a number of respondents. Those present at the discussion were KPU chairman Ilham Saputra as well as KPU members Arief Budiman and Viryan Azis, and Bawaslu members Ratna Dewi Pettalolo and M Afifuddin. Also present were KPU member-elect Idham Holik and Bawaslu member-elect Puadi. Meanwhile, other KPU and Bawaslu members as well as the elected KPU and Bawaslu members were present online along with around 250 KPU and Bawaslu members from the provinces, regencies and cities as well as civil society groups.

Bagja emphasized the need for coordinated, innovative, legal, accountable and professional institutional capacities to welcome the 2024 general elections.

The legal regulations, which do not change, or are similar to the 2019 election, according to Saan Mustopa, mean election organizers have to make new KPU regulations and Bawaslu regulations that are creative, innovative and able to answer various challenges without contradicting the Election Law. The House will provide input during the consultation meeting.

Political parties as election participants, said Saan, also needed legal certainty over the election rules. Political parties wanted to get election results quickly.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Member of the General Election Commission (KPU) for the 2017-2022 period Hasyim Asy'ári (right) with members of the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) for the 2017-2022 period, Rahmat Bagja (center), and Deputy Chair of Commission II DPR, Saan Mustopa as speakers at Kompas XYZ Forum at Kompas Editorial, Jakarta, Tuesday (1/3/2022).

Good capital

Hasyim said that public confidence in the election organizers at more than 70 percent, as illustrated in the Kompas poll, was good capital for the KPU to organize the 2024 general election and Pilkada. “One of the indicators of good governance is good public opinion," he said.

He emphasized that in facing the 2024 elections, the competence of the organizers was very important. A number of innovations from the 2020 Pilkada, which took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, would be continued in the 2024 General Election. For example, the maximum number of voters in one polling station (TPS) reduced to 300 people, the use of information technology developing in stages as well as the maximum age requirement for agency members according to the recommendations of the Health Ministry and the Covid-19 Task Force, at 50 years old.

Meanwhile, Ramlan said, there were at least three indicators that must be met to create a democratic election results management system, namely the speed in which the election results are determined and announced, the credibility of the election and electoral justice. According to him, the results of the general election recapitulation are only known after a very long 35 days, and it is one of the most-delayed announcements in the world.

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The KPU's innovation through the Electronic Recapitulation System (Sirekap), which is only informal in nature to provide information to the public, actually adds to the burden of manpower and budgeting for the organizers of the elections. Ramlan expected the Sirecap to be made into an official result. For that, there needed to be government regulation in lieu of law. Meanwhile, in terms of election credibility, he continued, the principles of inclusive elections must be met, increasing voter participation and reducing invalid votes.

Ilham reminded that the working relations between election organizers needed to be improved. For example, there were several KPU regulations related to the 2019 Election that were later questioned in Bawaslu. Likewise with the Election Organizers Advisory Council (DKPP). Although the DKPP functions to observe the code of ethics for election organizers, they contribute to the stages of the election.

Arief Budiman reminded the importance of building relations between election organizers and other state institutions. In a pandemic situation, relations with the Health Ministry and the Covid-19 Handling Task Force are very much needed.

Ratna Dewi revealed that the big problems that must be addressed by election organizers were related to the use of information technology, the certainty of legal norms, coordination and recruitment of the election organizers.

This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo.