Home Affairs Minister Asks Candidates For Regional Head Elections To Sign Pact Ready To Be Disqualified If They Violate The COVID-19 Protocol

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian has asked the regional head candidate pairs (bapaslon) to be ready to sign an integrity pact which states that they will accept disqualification if they violate health protocols during the 2020 Pilkada stages.

Integrity pacts are usually made when elections take place. However, so far, the integrity pact has only contained an agreement to undergo elections peacefully.

Because the regional elections are currently being held during the new corona virus pandemic, Tito asked for additional statements regarding compliance with the implementation of the COVID-19 prevention protocol.

"So far, the integrity pact for pilkada and elections is usually only a peaceful pilkada, ready to win ready to lose. Hence, this is added again, with adherence to the COVID-19 protocol," said Tito in a joint hearing with the Indonesian Parliament, Thursday, September 10.

The making of this integrity pact, said Tito, can be socialized through a coordination meeting (Rakor). This coordination meeting is chaired by the General Election Commission (KPU) and the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) of each region that will hold the 2020 Pilkada.

The KPU and Bawaslu invited the ranks of the regional government communication forum (Forkopimda), representatives of political parties, as well as contestants or candidate pairs.

"In this coordination meeting, the first stage will be socialized about the stages of the pilkada and the vulnerabilities at each stage, because not necessarily everyone understands. Then, the coordination committee encourages the creation of an integrity pact by the contestants," said Tito.

To support compliance with health protocols in organizing the 2020 Pilkada, Tito asked regions to make regional regulations (perda) or regional head regulations (perkada).

Regulations in each of these regions, said Tito, need to be made. The contents are an explanation of what can and should not be done during a pandemic. The regulation must also be equipped with sanctions, both administrative sanctions and social work.

"This regional regulation or pekada is very important, because law enforcers overlap between the national handling of COVID-19 and regional elections. Thus, regional election regulations that may not be reached can be covered by other enforcers," said the former National Police Chief.

Until now, there are 33 provinces that already have this regulation. At the district / city level, 174 regions have made local regulations or regional regulations. Then, there are 87 districts / cities that have not made regulations. "We continue to encourage what is not yet," he said.