Garut Bawaslu Did Not Find Criminal Election Case 14 Members Of Satpol PP Support Gibran

Garut Regency Bawaslu member gave a press statement in Garut. (ANTARA/Feri Purnama)

GARUT - The General Election Supervisory Agency of Garut Regency, West Java, concluded that they did not find any elements of election crime in the case of 14 members of the Civil Service Police Unit who made a video campaign for support for vice presidential candidate number 2 GibranRakabuming Raka.

Based on the results of the examination, Bawaslume stated that the Garut Satpol PP member case was only a violation of the neutrality of government employees whose sanctions were handed over to local government officials.

"No one is included in the criminal element, so the violation is categorized as another violation of the law," said the Coordinator of the Prevention, Participation and Public Relations Division of Garut Lamlam Masropah, as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 23.

He said that the Garut Bawaslu had conducted a search and examined all members of the Garut Satpol PP who were involved in making the video.

During the examination, Bawaslu Garut used two articles of election crime against members of the Garut Satpol PP, namely Article 280 paragraph 3 of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections, which states that state civil servants are prohibited from participating as executors and election campaigns.

Furthermore, Article 283 paragraph 1 of the Election Law which reads that state officials, structural officials, and functional officials in state positions as well as other state civil servants are prohibited from holding activities that lead to partiality to election participants, both before, during, or after the campaign period.

"Based on the information in the clarification process, the 14 members of the Satpol PP are not legal subjects as the article does so that they do not fulfill the elements of the article as referred to," he said.

From the results of a study by the Garut Integrated Law Enforcement Center (Gakkumdu), it was stated that 14 members of the Garut Satpol PP were suspected of violating neutrality, legally, and convincingly having violated the election, namely violating other laws and regulations, not election crimes.

The regulation, said Lamlam, is a Circular Letter of the Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform Number 1 of 2023 concerning Guidelines for Guidance and Supervision of Netrality for Non-State Employees (PPNPN) in Elections and Elections.

"In the circular letter, to be precise letter E number 1, it is stated that in holding elections and elections, every VATN must be neutral and free from the influence and intervention of all groups, including election participants," he said.

Based on the facts on the ground, the 14 members of the Garut Satpol PP have shown a non-neutral attitude by making a 19-second video containing actions leading to partiality to the vice presidential candidate number 2 Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Another fact is the violation of neutrality that applies to ASN as stipulated in the Joint Decree (SKB) concerning Guidelines for the Guidance and Supervision of Civil Servant Netrality in the Implementation of Elections and Elections.

"Dikenakan sanksi secara berbelis hingga dengan pemberian hubungan kerja antara instansi pemerintah yang berkaitan dengan PPNPN, sebagaimana tercatat dalam perjanjian kerja tahunan antara keduanya," katanya.

Considering that the members of the Garut Satpol PP are VATPN, the enforcement process against them regarding election neutrality is handed over to the Civil Service Officer (PPK) or the authorized official, namely the Regional Secretary of Garut Regency.

"Bawaslu Garut recommends follow-up and sanctions to 14 members of the Satpol PP related to PPK and/or officials authorized in this regard to the Garut District Secretary and copied to the BKD and Kasatpol PP Garut Regency to be followed up as applicable regulations," he said.