Ethics Council Allegedly Ethical Defected, Saiful Mujani Is Considered To Have Multiple Roles Of Referee-Player In Silence

Illustration of the 2024 simultaneous regional elections. (Between)

JAKARTA - The existence of Saiful Mujani at the Ethics Council of the Indonesian Public Opinion Survey Association (Persepi) sparked strong criticism and alleged ethical records. This action is considered unethical, considering that Saiful Mujani is also the founder of the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) which is being highlighted because of differences in survey data related to the DKI Jakarta Pilkada.

Its existence in the ethics board as well as a survey actor creates a clear conflict of interest. Professor of Political Sciences at Andalas University, Prof. Dr. Asrinaldi, S.Sos., M.Si., assessed that this dual role endangered the integrity of Persepi.

According to him, the decision taken by Persepi is full of political interests and undermines public trust in survey institutions. Persepi lied in revealing that Saiful Mujani did not participate in the decision-making of the LSI-Poltracking.

"Saiful Mujani, we know that it used to be part of the survey circle, there were slices. There needs to be a re-examination," said Asrinaldi, Friday, November 15, 2024.

Asrinaldi also emphasized that a member of the ethics board should uphold ethical standards that are strictly aware of their position as high-ranking survey institutions. The dual role in supervising and becoming a survey actor clearly contradicts the principles of independence.

"It should not be involved in decision making even though he is the ethics board, the ethics are like that because there must be a conflict of interest," he said.

This dual involvement lowers Persepi's independence and objectivity, creating the impression that the ethics board's decision can be influenced by personal interests. Prof. Dr. Asrinaldi stated that if this practice was allowed to occur, public trust in survey institutions could be eroded.

The recapitulation of Saiful Mujani's role and the closedness of the peace in this case made the association's credibility more collapsed and dilapidated. Persepi, which is supposed to be the guardian of the survey's ethical standards, is actually involved in a scandal that injures integrity.

The impact of this unethical behavior is felt directly by the public. Public trust in the survey results has declined, given the impression of manipulation and conflicts of interest that are clearly visible in Persepi's body.