Facing The 2024 Pilkada, Bawaslu: Money Politics Must Always Exist, Problems Can Be Reduced?

Chairman of the Indonesian Bawaslu Rahmat Bagja explained the data on violations at the Gakkumdu Center Coordination Forum at the Claro Hotel Makassar, South Sulawesi, Thursday (27/6/2024) ANTARA/Darwin Fatir.

Chairman of the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) RI Rahmat Bagja stated that the practice of money politics still has the potential to occur in simultaneous regional elections on November 27, 2024.

"Money politics must always exist. The problem can be reduced or not? We have been on patrol, once the patrol is finished and Panwascam returns to his office, there is money politics again," he said at the Gakkumdu Center Coordination Forum in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Thursday, June 27, which was confiscated by Antara.

According to him, violations of money politics can still occur, because reflecting on data on the trend of the 2020 national election crime decision based on articles violated in Law Number 10 of 2016 concerning Pilkada, there were dozens of cases recorded.

He said as many as 65 cases of village heads or officials of the State Civil Apparatus (ASN) violated Article 188 for taking actions to benefit or harm candidate pairs.

Next, 22 cases violated Article 187A paragraph 1, namely giving and or promising money and or other materials. There were also 12 cases of violating Article 178B that voted more than once in one or more polling stations. Another case, 10 cases violated Article 187 paragraph 3, namely violating campaign provisions.

In addition, eight cases violated Article 187 paragraph 2 of the campaign provisions, then seven cases violated Article 178A claiming to be other people using the right to vote. Four cases violated Article 185B, namely PPS, PPK, provincial KPU, city districts did not verify and recapitulate.

Four cases violated Article 185B, namely PPS, PPK, provincial KPU, city districts did not verify and recapitulate and four cases violated Article 178C paragraph 2, namely ordering other people who did not have the right to vote at one polling station or more.

Four cases violated Article 198A obstructing election organizers from carrying out their duties, three cases violating Article 187A paragraph 2 voters receiving rewards or promises, article 187A paragraph 4 disrupting, obstructing or disrupting the campaign and 19 violating cases of the Pilkada Law.

"Why does the KPPS committee have to be a local resident, meaning to know who he will choose, who will choose at that time. This is then KPU and Bawaslu friends selectively choose the adhoc organizers under it, because it is important," he said.

Furthermore, for the practice of money politics, in this case the giver and recipient in the 2024 General Election, only the giver is subject to a crime, while the recipient is not. In contrast to the election, the giver and recipient are both subject to a crime as is punished by Islam.

"Both of them have been hit in the election. So, the chances of those who report to Bawaslu are getting fewer, those who claim to receive will also be fewer, surely those who want to admit will want to admit it are less, they are sure of that. Because they have been punished," he said.

His party is also worried that the complainant will decrease, however, it depends on how the provincial and city district Bawaslu teams will monitor him in the field during the 2024 Pilkada process.

Data on the number of handling violations of the 2020 election was recorded in total 5,334, as many as 3,746 findings and 1,588 reports. The highest is administrative violation 1,532 cases, ethical violation 292 cases, election crime 182 cases, other violations of the law, support trend of ASN 1,570 cases and not violations of 1,828.

Furthermore, the decision on the 2020 election crime which was processed by law was 161 cases submitted to the District Court. In detail, 155 cases were found guilty, five were free and one died. There were also 34 cases decided by the High Court, namely 16 PN decisions were upheld by PT, 16 cases changed the PN's decision, three cases canceled the PN's decision and one case was not accepted.