Health Protocol Ignored During Cakada Registration, Commission II: Has Been Reminded

General election illustration (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the Indonesian Parliament, Arwani Thomafi, saw that the registration stages for regional head candidates in 271 regions that took place from Friday, September 4 to Sunday, September 6 were marked by many health protocol violations.

He highlighted that there was still massive mass mobilization in a number of areas that did not pay attention to health protocols such as wearing masks, maintaining distance, and the availability of hand washing stations.

"From the start, we warned about the risks of implementing regional elections during this pandemic. The registration process for candidate pairs displays a paradoxical side which is quite worrying," said Arwani as quoted from his written statement, Tuesday, September 8.

"In fact, the stages are still quite long, such as campaigning, socialization, until the voting day," he added.

This United Development Party (PPP) politician also assessed that a number of parties were inconsistent in implementing health protocols in the registration procession.

In fact, according to Article 11 paragraph (1) PKPU No. 6/2020 clearly states that all parties involved in the 2020 Pilkada process must implement a health program for preventing COVID-19 including wearing masks. In addition, officers also have the right to give a warning to those who do not comply with health protocols. Because this has been regulated in Article 11 paragraph (2) PKPU No. 6/2020.

If you have been reprimanded but ignored, then based on Article 11 paragraph (3) PKPU No. 6/2020, the organizers coordinate with the provincial or district Bawaslu, sub-district or sub-district Panwaslu to impose sanctions in accordance with applicable laws.

"But in PKPU 6/2020 there are no provisions for sanctions for anyone who violates the provisions of the COVID-19 prevention health protocol. So, seeing the massive violation of the COVID-19 prevention protocol in this community, the government must take concrete steps to put it in order, "he said.

Furthermore, Arwani also assessed that the government must continue to strengthen coordination with local governments that hold political contestations once every five years and also coordinate with the COVID-19 Task Force in the region.

Meanwhile, for violations of health protocols, he considered that there were at least two sanctions that could be applied. The first is the sanctions set by each local government. Moreover, currently there is Presidential Instruction Number 6 of 2020 which provides strengthening for the Regional Government to make local regulations that encourage the implementation of the Health Protocol for the prevention of COVID-19.

"Second, the application of sanctions by district or sub-district Panwaslu and district or provincial Bawaslu under the supervision of Bawaslu RI," he said.

"Bawaslu RI should prepare special regulatory instruments for pilkada organizers, election participants and voters regarding the implementation of this COVID-19 prevention health protocol," he added.

Previously, member of the Indonesian Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) Fritz Edward Siregar stated that there were 141 candidate pairs suspected of violating the COVID-19 prevention protocol when registering as regional head candidates to their respective regional KPUs.

That means, almost half of the 315 pairs of candidates who participated in the 2020 Simultaneous Pilkada were suspected of violating health protocols in the form of processions and crowds.

"The 141 chaplones are suspected of violating the KPU regulations which strictly prohibit convoys and processions in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Fritz, quoted from the official website of Bawaslu, Sunday, September 6.

Not only that, based on the statement of the Chairman of the General Election Commission (KPU) Arief Budiman, it is known that 37 regional head candidates have actually contracted COVID-19. This information is known from the submission of the PCR swab test results of each candidate which is one of the registration requirements.

"There were 37 candidates who tested positive based on the swab test. Not candidate pairs, yes. We collected this data from 21 provinces," said Arief at the KPU RI Office, Central Jakarta, Monday, September 7.

Meanwhile, the number of chameleons that were accepted for registration until Sunday at 24.00 was 687 chaplones.

In detail, there are 22 bapaslon for governors and deputy governors, 570 regents and vice regents, and 95 mayors and deputy mayors. The Bapaslon registered in 270 regions that held the 2020 Pilkada.

Then, the number of candidate pairs proposed by political parties or coalitions of political parties was 626.Meanwhile, the number of candidate pairs of candidates who went through the individual route was 61.