The Coalition Party Agrees With The Government To Hold Regional Elections in 2024, Citizens And The General Election Commission Are At Disadvantage

JAKARTA - On November 26, 2020, the Indonesian House of Representatives drafted a proposed draft Election Law (RUU Pemilu). This bill, if passed, will revise the existing electoral laws.

One of the provisions contained in the Election Bill is to normalize the regional elections schedule. From the 2017 regional elections to 2022 and the ones in 2018 to 2023. This bill revises the provisions of Law Number 10 of 2016 which stipulate that the next pilkada be synchronized in 2024.

Initially, only the PDI-P faction noted that they actually wanted the regional election to be held in 2024.

Then, it was reported that President Joko Widodo held discussions with political party leaders, one of which discussed the implementation of the regional head elections.

The gesture of Jokowi wanting the next regional elections to be held simultaneously in 2024 was revealed by the Director General of Politics and General Government of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bahtiar.

"We think that the regional elections Law should be implemented first. There are goals to be achieved for why the election is concurrent in 2024. Let us carry out the existing laws in accordance with the mandate of the Law, Law Number 10, 2016 Article 201 paragraph 8, the regional elections simultaneously we carry out in 2024", said Bahtiar, some time ago.

As time progressed, the Chairman of the NasDem Party, Surya Paloh, instructed his party cadres in the Indonesian Parliament not to continue the revision of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections. He also asked his party cadres to support the 2024 regional elections.

The reason for this change in attitude is because Indonesia is currently struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic and is trying to make an economic recovery. So, all political parties in the government coalition must solidly support this recovery effort.

"The aspirations and duties of NasDem are the same as the President, namely for the progress and a better future of this nation", said Surya Paloh on Saturday, February 6.

The Golkar Party faction in the House of Representatives stated that they currently reject the Election Bill (RUU) for discussion. This means that Golkar rejects the normalization of the next regional elections to be held in 2022 and 2023.

This contradicts the previous position of Golkar in discussing the proposed Election Bill by The House of Representatives. The bill contains The House of Representatives' proposal that the 2017 elections are held in 2022 and the 2018 ones will be continued in 2023.

Golkar Party Deputy Chairman Ahmad Doli Kurnia explained that Golkar's change of attitude was reluctant to discuss the Election Bill on the back of the results of discussions between President Jokowi and the leadership of the government coalition party.

"In the end, we came to a conclusion that we (Golkar) will postpone the discussion of the revision of the Law. There have been very intensive discussions between the government and our political party leaders", Doli said in a virtual discussion, Monday, February 8.

Previously, PKB also changed their attitude that the discussion of The House of Representatives Election Bill proposed to be postponed. Meanwhile, a number of other parties such as PAN and PPP rejected the overall discussion of the Election Bill, which includes the normalization of the 2022 and 2023 elections.

Finally, only two party factions, PKS and the Democrat, still want to discuss the Election Bill which will replace the existing electoral laws, including the normalization of regional elections.

The people and the General Election Commission are at disadvantaged

When he was asked who would be at disadvantage, Executive Director of Political Indicators, Burhanuddin Muhtadi, said that if the 2022 and 2023 elections were postponed to 2024, it would put the people and the General Election Commission at disadvantage (KPU).

"I suspect that the people will be at disadvantage if the elections are held in 2024, and the General Election Commission too", said Burhanuddin in a virtual discussion, Monday, February 8.

According to Burhanuddin, if the elections in hundreds of regions are postponed for the next 1 to 2 years, there will be Officials appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs to fill the vacant position of regional head which has expired.

"If the regional head is appointed by the government, it will become illegitimate. I am also not sure that the General Election Commission can hold elections simultaneously in the same year", he said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the General Election Commission, Ilham Saputra, has also admitted that the workload of election organizers is heavier if regional head elections are held simultaneously in 2024.

"Of course it will be very difficult if the elections are held in 2024. Why is that? Because the stages coincide with the national elections", said Ilham.

Based on the experience of holding the 2019 Election which combines only national elections, Ilham admits that many C1 forms or the results of vote recapitulation are not completed at the polling organizing group (KPPS).

Not to mention, the number of voters turn out has fallen by 11 percent from the previous election, so many polling organizing group officers were exhausted and died.

In addition, Ilham said there were other challenges that must be faced if the elections were held in 2024, namely the stages of socialization and education to voters.

"Will the public be bored with the regional elections, general elections, and so on. Of course, this is a challenge for the election organizers. Besides, I don't know when the pandemic is over", said Ilham.