After NU-Muhammadiyah, MUI's Turn To Ask The 2020 Pilkada To Be Postponed

Illustrations (Photo: Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a press conference asking the government to postpone the 2020 Pilkada. This has followed two religious institutions, namely Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, which previously also urged postponement of regional elections.

Secretary General of the MUI Leadership Council Anwar Abbas said, currently the spread of COVID-19 is still high and it is believed that at the time of the Election in December 2020, cases were still not rampant.

According to Abbas, the implementation of regional elections has the potential to create new clusters of COVID-19 transmission, due to mass gathering during the 2020 Pilkada stages such as the campaign.

"In order to maintain the safety of the human soul that must come first, the implementation of the elections in December 2020 must be postponed until the transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic slopes," Abbas said in a written statement, Wednesday, September 30.

However, if the government, the General Election Commission (KPU), and the DPR are determined to continue the Pilkada stages, then there must be strict rules regarding health protocols. Crowds, according to Abbas, can be prevented from becoming a link in the chain of transmission of Covid-19.

"Law enforcement must be carried out firmly by imposing heavy sanctions on violators, both campaigners and party bearers, to the disqualification of pilkada candidate pairs," he explained.

Abbas continued, now the government needs to have firm and concrete steps to tackle the impact of COVID-19. Currently, the government should focus on dealing with the pandemic by not continuing with regional elections.

Every existing resource, according to him, should be focused on handling COVID-19, including financial resources that will become the budget for the 2020 Pilkada.

"Therefore, the implementation of the Pemilukada during the current pandemic is an insensitive and very enforced policy," he said.

As is known, NU and Muhammadiyah are united in asking for the 2020 Pilkada to be postponed. Chairman of PP Muhammadiyah Haedar Nashir assessed that this delay was necessary because public safety was far more important than the implementation of the 2020 Pilkada.

"In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and for the sake of the nation's safety and ensuring quality implementation, the KPU should consider carefully so that the 2020 Regional Head General Election will be postponed until conditions allow," said Haedar.

PBNU Chairman Said Aqil Siroj also asked to postpone the 2020 simultaneous regional head elections in order to maintain the health of the people.

"Requesting the KPU, government and DPR to postpone the implementation of the 2020 Pilkada Simultaneous stages until the health emergency stage has been passed," said Said.

Based on the results of the hearing on September 21, the government, the KPU, the DPR, the Election Supervisory Board, and the Honorary Council of Election Administrators agreed that the election day for the elections would still be held on December 9.