Makassar 2018 Pilkada: When Empty Box Wins And Eliminates History

Prospective Mayor of Makassar, Munafri Arifuddin posed by closing an empty box at one of the polling stations in Makassar. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Political contestation at the pilkada level often attracts public interest. The general spirit in the regions is so that they can fulfill their voting rights in determining candidates for regional heads according to conscience. There is no need for pairs of candidates for regional heads to be dizzy when they become single candidates.

The Constitution guarantees them against empty boxes. The victory of the sole candidate will be recognized if the vote reaches more than 50 percent. The empty box is often unseeded and underestimated. However, not in the 2018 Makassar Pilkada.

Efforts to find regional leaders through the Pilkada are often a momentum for the changes you have been waiting for. The general assembly already has its own heroes. All of this is in accordance with the principles of direct, general, free, secret, honest, and fair elections (Luber Jurdil).

Problems arise. The election initially did not know the sole candidate. The General Election Commission (KPU) also got the task of looking for challengers. However, within a certain time if there are no challengers, the election can be canceled.

The implementation of the regional elections was postponed until it was carried out simultaneously the following year. This condition has the potential to occur in the 2015 simultaneous regional elections. Several areas such as Blitar Regency, Tasikmalaya Regency, and North Central Timor Regency in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) have the potential to only be followed by single candidates.

As a result, the regional elections in the three regions could potentially be postponed until 2017. The regulation was criticized by many parties. They are afraid that later there will be many vacancies in the position of regional heads. The postponement made the position only filled by the Acting Officer (Plt) who incidentally could not make strategic decisions.

Development is disrupted. Even the livelihoods of local residents can be number two. The balance was immediately responded by Indonesia's political communication expert, Effendi Gazali. He submitted a request for a judicial review or judicial review of the articles of the sole candidate to the Constitutional Court (MK).

He assessed that the provisions of at least two pairs of candidates stipulated in Law No. 8 of 2015 concerning Pilkada did not have legal certainty. Efendi wants the Indonesian people to be able to fulfill their voting rights. They will be able to choose a single candidate, or an empty box.

That wish is considered reasonable. Even if the empty box wins. So the position of the regional head is still filled by Plt. However, at least the people have exercised their voting rights. The Constitutional Court agreed on September 29, 2015. Those who competed as sole candidates, will later fight the empty box. Even then they must win more than 50 percent. This condition took place in the 2018 regional elections.

"The right to choose residents who live in the area with a single candidate pair is clearly disadvantaged. This does not provide legal certainty and is discriminatory. This constitutional loss has the potential to occur throughout Indonesia.

"Who guarantees that this single candidate phenomenon will not occur in the 2017 simultaneous regional elections and so on. When the people are not led by the best regional head they choose. This rule has the potential to disrupt the sustainability of regional development," Effendi said as quoted by the coverage page 6.com, August 19, 2015.

The political contestation of the regional elections is getting more and more lively with the presence of empty boxes. They couple regional head candidates no longer need to be dizzy when they become single candidates. In the constitution they will automatically fight empty boxes -- or in the MK terminology determined by column agreeing (single candidates) and disagreeing (empty boxes).

However, fighting an empty box is not an easy matter. The candidate pair for Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Makassar, Munafri Arifuddin and Andi Rachmatika Dewi (Appi-Cicu) have felt it. Appi-Cicu had been the sole pair of the 2018 Makassar Pilkada.

This condition occurred because the Supreme Court (MA) crossed out Danny Pomanto and Indira Mulyasari (Diami). The deletion was carried out because Danny Pomanto as the incumbent had committed a violation. He uses government programs for covert campaigns.

Appi-Cicu then became the only pair. They are automatically considered to have a big chance of winning against an empty box. The voting only took place on June 27, 2018.

Hope is just hope. Appi-Cicu actually suffered a bitter defeat against the empty box. At that time the empty box got 300,795 or 53.23 percent. While the Appi-Cicu only got 264,245 or 46.77 percent.

Many think that the victory of empty boxes is a form of people's resistance to political elites who have a common power. In fact, in some empty boxes it was defeated by regional head candidates. The incident of winning an empty box in the 2018 Makassar Pilkada became a new history in the archipelago.

Something that confirms that the empty box can win the Pilkada. The victory of the empty box was also celebrated by some Makassar residents. They shouted words: Life in an empty box, life in an empty box.

The election dispute was brought to the Constitutional Court. However, the Constitutional Court did not grant it. The difference in votes is too far. This means that the empty box still wins. This condition for Makassar will be led by the Acting Mayor until the upcoming regional elections.

"Thus, the number of differences in vote acquisition between the Petitioner and the 'disagree' (the empty column) to be submitted for the dispute over the results of the 2018 Makassar Mayor and Deputy Mayor Elections is at most 0.5 percent x 565,040 votes (the total valid votes) = 2,825 votes," said the Constitutional Court as quoted on the detik.com page, December 27, 2018.