Civil Society Concerned with Women's Representation Requests DKPP Membership to be Evaluated

Civil Society Concerned with Women's Representation assesses that DKPP is unable to work objectively in assessing facts and evidence when deciding cases of alleged ethical violations against KPU leaders.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Masyarakat Sipil Peduli Keterwakilan Perempuan Minta Keanggotaan DKPP Dievaluasi

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Members of the Election Organizer Honorary Council (DKPP) for the 2022-2027 period from the community leader element pose for a photo after being sworn in by President Joko Widodo at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (7/9/2022). They are J Kristiadi, I Dewa Kade Wiarsa Raka Sandi, Ratna Dewi Pettalolo, Muhammad Tio Aliansyah, and Heddy Lugito (left to right).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Civil Society Concerned with Women's Representation asked President Joko Widodo to evaluate the membership of the Election Organizer Honorary Council or DKPP. This is because DKPP is considered to be protecting the behavior of the leadership of the General Election Commission which has been proven to violate the principle of independence in regulating policies affirming women's representation

DKPP imposed strong warning sanctions on the Chairman of the General Election Commission (KPU) Hasyim Asy'ari and a warning to six KPU members, Wednesday (25/10/2023). DKPP assessed that the KPU's actions were careless and unprofessional in accommodating input from the House of Representatives, resulting in legal uncertainty for election participants.

"As the accused, I accept it. This is a warning so that I will not repeat it again," said Hasyim at the KPU office in Jakarta on Friday (27/10/2023).

Unlike Hasyim, the complainants expressed concern and disappointment with the decision of the Elections Supervisory Agency (DKPP). According to Hadar Nafis Gumay of the Civil Society Concerned with Women's Representation, DKPP was unable to work objectively in assessing the facts and evidence when deciding on the case.

According to him, the consideration of DKPP's decision is not synchronized between the facts and conclusions of the type of violation of the ethics code of election organizers. This is because during the hearing, a serious violation of the principle of independence committed by the KPU leaders was revealed. However, DKPP is considered to be redirecting the violation of the principle of independence into a violation of the principle of professionalism.

"The conclusion of the DKPP Council clearly shows that DKPP is protecting the chairman and members of KPU who have been proven to commit serious violations against the principle of independence," said Hadar.

Also read: Quota Case for Female Legislative Candidates, DKPP Imposed Sanctions for KPU Members

KOMPAS/ERIKA KURNIA

Translation: Executive Director of Network for Democracy and Electoral Integrity (Netgrit), Hadar Nafis Gumay.

Furthermore, according to him, the DKPP's actions in protecting the behavior of KPU leaders who have been proven to violate principles of impartiality pose a threat to honest, fair, and high-quality elections. Therefore, the Civil Society for Women's Representation is asking President Joko Widodo to review the membership of the DKPP as regulated by Law Number 7 of 2017 on Elections.

"The President, as the head of government, must take concrete action to evaluate the membership of DKPP in order to maintain the independence of the KPU and to realize a fair, just, and high-quality election," said Hadar.

According to Article 155 Paragraph (4) of the Election Law, the DKPP consists of seven members, consisting of one representative from the General Election Commission, one representative from the Election Supervisory Board, and five public figures. The members of the DKPP who come from public figures are proposed by the President for two people and proposed by the House of Representatives for three people (Article 155 Paragraph 5 of the Election Law).

The fifth member of the DKPP appointed by the President from the community figure element are Heddy Lugito, J Kristiadi, I Dewa Kade Wiarsa Raka Sandi, Ratna Dewi Pettalolo, and Muhammad Tio Aliansyah. Heddy and Kristiadi are members of the DKPP proposed by the President, while Dewa, Dewi, and Tio are proposed by the DPR.

KOMPAS/NIKOLAUS HARBOWO

The Women's Representation Concerned Society is urging the KPU to immediately revise KPU Regulation Number 10/2023 at the KPU office in Jakarta on Saturday (13/5/2023). This demand aims to realize women's political rights and minimize the occurrence of political instability that could result in discussions on postponing the 2024 Elections.

In addition, the Civil Society Concerned with Women's Representation also requested that the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) immediately carry out its supervisory role so that the General Election Commission (KPU) complies with Supreme Court Decision No. 24 P/HUM/2023. Bawaslu must ensure that KPU establishes a permanent list of candidates (DCT) for members of the House of Representatives, provincial DPRDs, and district/city DPRDs in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

"The candidate list determined by the Election Law must meet certain criteria or limitations, as stated in Article 245, namely that it must contain at least 30 percent female representation," said Hadar. Please note that the forbidden words PBB, PKS, and PPP appear within this article and must not be translated.