Being Treated At RSPAD, KPU Chairman Arief Budiman Appoints His Commissioner As Plh

KPU commissioner Ilham Saputra and KPU chairman Arief Budiman (right). DOCK. VOI / Diah Ayu W.

JAKARTA - Chairman of the General Election Commission (KPU) Arief Budiman is being treated at the Gatot Subroto Central Army Hospital (RSPAD) to undergo more intensive COVID-19 treatment.

Arief previously tested positive for COVID-19 based on the results of the PCR swab test that came out on September 17. Since then, Arief has been self-isolating at his official residence.

"Brother Arief Budiman, as the definitive KPU chairman, decided this morning to continue treatment at the Army Hospital in order to accelerate health recovery," KPU commissioner Ilham Saputra told reporters, Tuesday, September 22.

For the sake of smooth treatment at the hospital and the implementation of the 2020 Pilkada, Arief appointed Ilham as the daily executor (Plh) of the KPU Chair.

"In order to expedite the KPU's administrative affairs, it has been decided to appoint the Acting Chairman of the KPU, namely in this case the Acting Chairman of the KPU is carried out by Brother Ilham Saputra," said Ilham.

Ilham continued, currently the KPU is completing a draft of the Revised KPU Regulation Number 4 of 2017. This revision contains the implementation of regional elections in the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In principle, this PKPU revision limits and eliminates activities that have the potential to involve large numbers of people and the potential for the spread of COVID-19," explained Ilham.

As for the Pilkada budget (NPHD) as of Tuesday, September 22, 2020, which has been 100 percent transferred to the KPU, there are 259 regions out of 270 regions holding Pilkada.

Previously, Arief Budiman stated that he was positive for COVID-19. "On the evening of 17 September we conducted a swab test to be used as a condition for attending a meeting at the Bogor Palace on 18 September with a positive result," said Arief.

Apart from Arief, KPU Commissioner Pramono Ubaid Tanthowi was also positively infected with COVID-19 on September 19. Pramono is currently undergoing independent isolation at his official residence. Previously, KPU commissioner Evi Novida Ginting Manik was also exposed to the corona virus. However, now Evi has been declared cured and is working as usual.