JAKARTA - The COVID-19 pandemic has made the holding of simultaneous regional elections this year different from before. Health protocols, such as maintaining distance and not crowding, must be obeyed, making this year's Pilkada not contributing to economic growth both locally and nationally.
Before the pandemic, the Pilkada stages were able to drive the economy in the regions and contribute to economic growth both locally and nationally. This is due to various business transactions, such as shopping for campaign attributes, involvement of event organizers for entertainment stage affairs, to MSMEs and street vendors who also enlivened when there was a mass gathering.
If in normal conditions the Pilkada participants reach 735 candidate pairs, if the average candidate pairs have a campaign cost of at least IDR 1 billion, the circulation of money can reach IDR 735 billion, this is the minimum amount, naturally it could reach IDR 5 trillion considering the characteristics of each region. This amount is very significant in driving the regional economy and contributing to national growth.
Chairman of the DPD HIPPI DKI Jakarta, Sarman Simanjorang, assessed that the simultaneous regional elections this year will not have the same economic impact as before. This is due to the limited space for campaigns that are guided by health protocols.
"This year's Pilkada can be called the Pilkada with an economical package. The candidate pairs severely limit campaign spending, perhaps because of limited funds because they do not receive support from business actors due to the COVID-19 pandemic," he said, in a written statement received by VOI, Wednesday, December 9.
This year's Pilkada stages, said Sarman, were enlivened through social and virtual media so that minimal economic transactions occurred. Not only that, the pairs of candidates shop more for medical equipment such as hand sanitizers, masks and others to distribute to the public, while other attributes are spent, but they are very minimal.
Sarman said that the campaign funds disbursed by the government amounting to Rp. 20 trillion have very limited circulation. Because it is used for the procurement of letters and ballot boxes, medical equipment and various other Pilkada preparations.
"Only a few have reached the hands of residents in the form of remuneration for KPPS officials, so that there is no significant impact on the increase in household consumption," he explained.
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