The COVID-19 Task Force Affirms The Government Has No Plan To Postpone Pilkada

Illustrated (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the Task Force for Handling COVID-19, Wiku Adisasmito, said the government has no plans to postpone the 2020 simultaneous regional elections which will be held on December 9.

"There is no plan to postpone this election because we have only just started and this should be well controlled with the cooperation of all parties," Wiku said in an online press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat YouTube account, Thursday, September 10.

He said, for the sake of running the elections that are safe from the transmission of COVID-19 there are already a number of ministries and institutions that are authorized to take care of it. Namely the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) which takes care of the stability and security of elections, then law enforcement officials such as the TNI and Polri.

"There is also a KPU who prepares and leads the implementation of this simultaneous election activity and there is a Bawaslu that compiles standards and supervision. There is also a local government of course that coordinates and communicates vital aspects that support the holding of elections," he said.

All these ministries and institutions must work hard to ensure that elections remain safe to hold. However, the work of these agencies and ministries certainly requires support from the community and future regional head candidates.

"All members of society must also be involved in really controlling the situation because we are all participating," he said.

He also reminded candidates for regional heads to always follow the health protocols that apply in the midst of a pandemic like this. Included in running the campaign.

Wiku said, each candidate for regional head has the right to campaign. However, there are a number of things that must be obeyed, including KPU Regulation (PKPU) Number 10 of 2020.

"The campaign method allowed is limited indoor meetings attended by a maximum of 50 people with a distance of 1 meter and of course it is also adjusted to the size of the room," said Wiku, adding that this campaign can also be done online.

Furthermore, to help the government campaign for healthy living protocols, campaign props can be replaced with masks, gloves, face shields, and hand sanitizers.

If in practice, a regional head candidate wants to campaign in a different way, he is required to report to the Regional COVID-19 Handling Task Force.

It is hoped that in the future, these prospective leaders will increasingly obey the existing regulations. Then, do not repeat the mistakes made by dozens of regional heads during the registration process at the local KPU.

"A true leader is a leader who is responsible for the community. Therefore, we should be able to control this COVID well and all the experiences we have experienced are valuable lessons," he concluded.