Deputy Minister Of Religion Reminds ASN Not To Be A Team Of Elections

Deputy Minister of Religion Saiful Rahmat Dasuki conveyed his remarks at the briefing of 1,000 KKN students, in Palu, Wednesday (10/25/2023). (ANTARA/HO-Kiswanto)

PALU - Deputy Minister of Religion Saiful Rahmat Dasuki emphasized that State Civil Apparatus (ASN) under the auspices of the Ministry of Religion should not be a winning team for simultaneous general election participants and regional head elections in 2024.

"I continue the mandate of the Minister of Religion, ladies and gentlemen as ASN must be neutral. They cannot be part of the campaign, participate in supporting election participants," said Saiful Rahmat Dasuki, when delivering a speech to the briefing of 1,000 KKN students at the Datokarama State Islamic University (UIN), in Palu City, Central Sulawesi, reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, October 25.

In front of the academic community of UIN Datokarama Palu, Saiful Rahmat Dasuki stated that the ASN within the Ministry of Religion must be neutral in the 2024 General Election and Regional Head Election.

Simultaneous general elections in 2024 the process and stages have begun. Currently, the presidential and vice presidential elections have entered the registration stage.

Meanwhile, the legislative elections at the DPR, DPD, provincial and district/city DPPD levels are also included in the nomination stage.

In the near future, the General Elections Commission (KPU) will hold a simultaneous general election campaign stage starting from November 28, 2023 to February 10, 2024.

Elections and regional elections, he said, are a democratic process that is held every five years.

To realize quality democracy and elections and regional elections, according to him, must be free from all forms of identity politics.

"Because identity politics only destroys and disrupts the values of harmony in social society," he said.

Learning from the 2019 elections, where fellow human beings and fellow Indonesian people are one nation, one language, mocking each other with the words "cebong" and "kampret".

"Even though both are humans, according to God, are the most perfect creatures," he said.

Therefore, he emphasized, ASN within the Ministry of Religion including ASN UIN Datokarama should not be involved in supporting support.

ASN should also not be involved in the practice of identity politics or SARA politicization.

"This will damage the order of our ASN, and if the ASN is damaged, especially on campus. Then it will definitely spread to students," he said.

Therefore, he said, ASN within the Ministry of Religion including ASN UIN Datokarama must exercise restraint, and become a neutral ASN.