Mahfud MD Called The Regional Head Election Does Not Affect The Addition Of COVID-19 Cases

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD said the 2020 Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) did not affect the increase in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia. According to him, the addition of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia is more based on people's attitudes in implementing health protocols.

Mahfud gave an example of DKI Jakarta Province. The former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) said that the province, which is led by Governor Anies Baswedan, did not hold regional head elections, but the number of COVID-19 transmission was so high that it even won the first place for transmission.

"In DKI where there is no regional election, the infection rate is high, it always becomes the 1st winner with the highest transmission rate," Mahfud said in a press conference that was broadcast online, Friday, October 2.

In addition, Mahfud also claimed that there was a reduction in the red zone for the regions that will run the Pilkada. "From 45 regions to 29 regions, while in areas where there are no pilkadanya red zones, the red zone increases from 25 to 33," he said.

From that data, Mahfud said the regional elections were not the cause of the increase in cases. Because, a more important issue is increasing public awareness in complying with health protocols.

"What does it mean? It means that the most important thing is the commitment to the health protocol by all elements of society, government and social institutions," he said.

Even so, Mahfud said the government still paid attention to suggestions and input from a number of community organizations such as the Nahdatul Ulama (PBNU) and Muhammadiyah Board of Directors as well as a number of other mass organizations that requested that the 2020 Pilkada continue to prioritize public health. Including the proposal requesting that the five-year contest be canceled.

"Those who have advised that the pilkada prioritizes health, we take the core of prioritizing health, but technically we carry out the pilkada, we tighten the protocol," he said.

The tightening of this protocol includes asking law enforcement officials such as the TNI and Polri as well as others to enforce discipline through three strategies in the form of a preventive, persuasive approach, and the last if needed is a repressive approach.

"I told the Police, TNI, Satpol PP and other APH, that once we lose to a violation, there will be another violation in another place. So this problem must still be firm as earlier instructions from the central government to enforcers of health protocol discipline," he concluded.