Deactivating KTPs must not take away Jakarta residents' right to vote

KOMPAS/YUNIADHI AGUNG

The atmosphere of vote counting for the 2024 Election at Polling Station 43 in Petukangan Selatan Sub-district, South Jakarta, which lasted until night, on Wednesday (14/2/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Arranging or controlling population administration must not eliminate citizens' right to vote in elections. Citizens' right to vote is guaranteed and protected by the constitution.

Election activists are reminding this to the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government which is currently organizing or proposing to deactivate the NIK of its citizens whose residence does not match their domicile or KTP address. A similar warning was also conveyed to DKI Jakarta KPU which will update voter data through matching and researching voter lists starting June 24.

The Secretary General of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee, Kaka Suminta, conveyed this on Sunday (May 26, 2024) night. In principle, no citizen should lose their right to vote due to problems in civil registry administration.

"The restructuring of population administration is an old issue that has been neglected by the government. We should not take away or eliminate the political rights of citizens. Such rights can only be revoked through the judicial process," said Kaka.

Furthermore, according to him, Jakarta residents affected by the deactivation of their KTPs still have the right to vote in the 2024 gubernatorial election (pilgub), on November 27, because the electoral district is in the same province or as long as it does not cross borderline.

Also read: Residents Affected by KTP Deactivation Still Participate in 2024 Jakarta Gubernatorial Election

Therefore, the Jakarta Electoral Commission is expected to carry out the best possible matching and examination of the voter list without being disturbed by the arrangement of population administration by the Jakarta Provincial Government. The results must also be clearly communicated to the public.

Bawaslu DKI Jakarta is also asked to consider all norms in the laws or Constitutional Court decisions related to voting rights so that no citizens are deprived of their rights. "The constitution must be guaranteed. The right to vote should not be lost or ignored," said Kaka.

Researcher from the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), Fadli Ramadhanil, also expressed a similar sentiment. The administration of population data must not erase the right to vote for citizens. On the contrary, it is a form of protection.

"The deactivation of ID cards in Jakarta should not have an impact on voting rights. The DP4 that has been submitted to the KPU should also not eliminate the voting rights of citizens on the grounds of invalid reasons due to the deactivation of ID cards," said Fadli.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Citizens enthusiastically participated in the vote counting process for the presidential and vice-presidential elections in the 2024 Election at polling station 703 in Petamburan Village, Tanah Abang, Jakarta on Wednesday (14/2/2024).

I want to remain a resident of Jakarta because the service is better than other areas.

DP4 or the potential voter list is data from the government that will be used by the KPU to compile the voter list based on matching and research.

Based on the synchronization of DP4 and the latest permanent voter list (DPT) from the Voter Data Information System as of May 19, 2024 at 9:30 PM local time, there are 8,315,669 voters for the 2024 Jakarta Gubernatorial Election. The details are as follows, 21,161 voters in the Thousand Islands, 826,838 voters in Jakarta Central, 1,361,838 voters in North Jakarta, 1,931,750 voters in West Jakarta, 1,777,357 voters in South Jakarta, and 2,396,725 voters in East Jakarta.

Electoral law lecturer from the University of Indonesia, Titi Anggraini, added that deactivating the ID cards of non-factual residents in Jakarta should be done simultaneously, and is necessary to ensure that population data and public services are running well or on target. However, the process must be careful and optimal through coordination between the Jakarta Provincial Government, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the General Election Commission.

"It must be ensured that the ID numbers of the deactivated residents can still be used for voting rights, and that they understand where they are registered and can use their voting rights," said Titi.

The above matter certainly requires intensive and massive socialization to the affected citizens or voters. With that, it is hoped that they will know and understand to use their voting rights on November 27th.

KOMPAS/AGUIDO ADRI

Remaining puddles of water at TPS 118 RT 001 / RW O05, Pulogebang, East Jakarta, on Wednesday (14/2/2024). This polling station carries the theme of traditional clothing to enliven the 2024 elections.

Suffrage

Earlier, the DKI Jakarta Election Commission ensured that residents affected by the deactivation of their ID cards can still exercise their right to vote. This was based on coordination with the Jakarta Department of Population and Civil Registration, which confirmed that residents whose ID cards were deactivated are still included in the DP4 or listed as voters in Jakarta.

Nugroho (32), a resident of East Jakarta, does not see a problem with residents who have their ID cards deactivated still being able to use their voting rights as long as they comply with the applicable regulations. According to him, the more voters, the better for democracy, especially in the Jakarta gubernatorial election in 2024.

"I feel that Jakarta needs change. "So, the more people are directly involved (voting) the better," said Nugroho.

The change in question is that there is no concrete solution to Jakarta's main problems, namely congestion, flooding and illegal parking which have been widely discussed recently. This problem, he said, has never been resolved and seems to be running in place.

Also read: Early Stages of Pilkada, DKI KPU Updates Voter Data and Maps TPS

Marina (29), a resident affected by the deactivation of her ID card because she now lives in Karang Tengah, Tangerang City, Banten, but has a Jakarta ID card with an address in Palmerah, West Jakarta, is actually currently attempting to address the issue of her citizen registry administration. One of her goals is to be able to vote for her preferred candidate in the 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election.

"Now it's still being taken care of. It's a bit troublesome because I have to contact the neighborhood association, then the district office. I still want to be a Jakarta resident because the services are better than in other areas. I won't be able to choose if I have to move. Even though I already have a favorite place," said Marina.