PBNU Asks The 2020 Regional Elections To Be Postponed For The Sake Of People's Health

General Chairman of Nahdatul Ulama (PBNU) Said Aqil Siroj. (Reno Esnir / Antara).

JAKARTA - The Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) has asked the KPU, the government, and the Indonesian Parliament to postpone the holding of the 2020 Concurrent Regional Head Election in order to maintain the health of the people.

"Requesting the General Election Commission of the Republic of Indonesia, the Government, and the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia to postpone the implementation of the 2020 Pilkada Simultaneous stages until the health emergency phase has passed," said PBNU Chairman Said Aqil Siroj in a statement in Jakarta September.

The implementation of the pilkada, even with a tightened health protocol, is considered difficult to avoid the concentration of large numbers of people in all its stages.

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) also asked to reallocate the regional election budget for handling the health crisis and strengthening social safety nets.

In addition, NU needs to remind the Recommendation of the 2012 Nahdlatul Ulama Grand Conference at the Cirebon Kempek regarding the need to review the implementation of regional head elections which cause many disadvantages in the form of money politics and high cost politics.

This statement of attitude looks at the developments in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Efforts to tighten the PSBB, he said, need to be supported without neglecting efforts to maintain the sustainability of the people's economic life.

NU argues, protecting the survival (hifdz al-nafs) with health protocols is as important as maintaining the economic viability (hifdz al-mâl) of the community.

However, because the transmission of COVID-19 has reached an emergency level, the main priority of state and government policies should be oriented towards alleviating the health crisis.

Meanwhile, in the midst of efforts to contain and break the chain of the spread of COVID-19, Indonesia is facing a political agenda.

The political agenda is in the form of Simultaneous Regional Elections 2020 in 9 provinces, 224 regencies and 37 cities, the peak of which is planned for December 9, 2020.

As usual for political events, he said, the momentum of a democratic party is always synonymous with mass mobilization.

Despite the tightening of regulations related to mass mobilization, it has been proven that in the registration of candidate pairs there is a concentration of masses that are prone to becoming transmission clusters.

The facts show that a number of election organizers, both at the central and regional levels, as well as prospective pilkada contestants in a number of areas have tested positive for COVID-19.