DPR Commission II: Discourse On Changes In The Schedule For The November To September Pilkada Must Be Reviewed Deeper

Illustration of the 2024 General Election

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the DPR RI Yanuar Prihatin responded to the discourse to advance the simultaneous Pilkada schedule from 27 November 2024 to September 2024. According to him, this discourse must be studied more deeply.

Because, said Yanuar, changes in schedule have the potential to cause new noise, as well as encourage the emergence of public distrust of election organizers and legislators, in this case the DPR and the government).

Yanuar assessed that the change in the election schedule would seem forced because it appeared in the midst of the election stages. It is better, he said, that political energy is focused on the success of the ongoing stages so that the election in February 2024 does not experience shocks.

"We still remember, in the midst of preparations for the 2024 General Election, there were a lot of strong winds that made political turbulence rise. From the discourse on postponing elections, extending the presidential term to 3 terms, taking over the authority to arrange electoral districts from legislators to election organizers, debate the proportional or closed electoral system to question the life of presidential candidates,"

"Now a new debate is presented about the change in the schedule for the simultaneous regional elections. It is possible that there are other issues that are still being held to be issued at the next time," Yanuar continued in his statement, Friday, August 25.

The chairman of the PKB DPP said that if the change in schedule was made a few months ago, namely when discussing the schedule for legislative elections and the 2024 presidential election, the atmosphere would have been more conducive. Psychologically, according to him, would not cause prejudice because the schedule of simultaneous regional elections was set together with the election schedule. "But now the conditions are much different. The political process of elections is getting closer to the peak. Of course it is natural to ask. Why is this discourse only being offered now, and not long ago when the 2024 election schedule has not been decided yet?," he said. "One thing is very clear, if simultaneous regional elections are carried out in November 2024, it means being under the management of the newly formed government. The inauguration of the president/vice president and members of the DPR/DPD takes place in October 2024. So there is also a concern that the new government will struggle to prepare for simultaneous elections," Yanuar continued. According to Yanuar, simultaneous regional elections in November 2024 will be more neutral than possible government intervention. Because the new government has not been perfectly consolidated. However if the simultaneous elections are held in September 2024, he added, it means that it is still within the current range of government control. "Politically, of course, the government is currently in a strong consolidation peak. It is impossible to be free of interest in the simultaneous regional elections that will take place. From that point of view, simultaneous elections in November 2024 are more profitable for the consolidation of democracy, neutrality of the government, freedom of political parties to carry out regional head and the best comfort for election organizers to prepare for the implementation of the event," he explained. Regarding the reasons for the progress of the regional election schedule so that the inauguration can be held simultaneously, Yanuar suggested that the inauguration of the elected regional head should be carried out no later than 3 (three) months after the voting day, which is around February 2025.

"If there is an inauguration schedule that should be carried out in 2026, then it will still be moved forward in 2025 for its inauguration. And to regional heads affected by this policy, reasonable and reasonable compensation is given. So the newly elected regional heads can immediately work, they don't have to wait for the end of their previous term of office of regional heads," he explained.

If forced to change for security and order reasons related to the ability of the security forces to mobilize their troops, Yanuar added, the November 2024 regional elections could be used as two regional elections. "There is a first wave as an initial stage, then followed by a wave of the second phase of pilkada which will be held on November 27, 2024. The first wave could be held one or two weeks before November 27, 2024, a very sufficient time period for the police and the TNI to mobilize their limited number of troops," he concluded.