PKB Legislator Calls The Ministry Of Villages Has No Legal Basis To Fire Companion For Advanced Villages For Candidates 2024

Member of Commission V DPR RI, Syafyuddin Asmoro (DOK factionpkb.com)

JAKARTA Commission V DPR RI criticized the steps taken by the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions who asked village assistants to resign because they were running as legislative candidates (Caleg) in the 2024 Legislative Election (Pileg).

Member of Commission V DPR RI, Syafyuddin Asmoro, assessed that the Ministry of Village's move had a political nuance and had no clear legal basis.

"In our opinion, this step only triggers a commotion in the midst of President Prabowo's efforts to realize his various priority programs," Syafyuddin told reporters, Wednesday, February 26.

Syafyuddin explained that the referral of the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions to Law Number 23/2017 in the Election Article 240 letter K as the basis for asking village assistants to resign because advancing as legislative candidates was baseless. In this provision, there are special requirements for legislative candidates where if they are regional heads, the TNI, Polri, ministry/institutional employees, or BUMN employees must resign.

"But this village assistant is not an employee of the Kemendes PDT. They are professionals who have been contracted for a certain period of time. Thus, it is not included in the classification that must resign," said Syafyuddin.

The problem of interpreting the requirements of legislative candidates from the village assistant element, said Syafiuddin, was once a polemic ahead of the 2024 General Election. At that time the KPU through letter numbered 740/PL.01.4-SD/05/23 emphasized that village assistant professionals were allowed to follow the process of dismissal without having to resign because they were not employees or employees of the Ministry of Villages PDT.

"So now suddenly it's a bit strange to question," he said.

Furthermore, Syafyuddin feels that there are several irregularities in the unilateral decision of the Ministry of Villages to ask village assistants who run as legislative candidates in the 2024 General Election to resign. First, from a time perspective, according to Syafyuddin, the decision should have been taken in the run before the election, not after the election.

Second, this decision seemed sudden for the sought reason. "I suspect this is just an attempt to get rid of village assistants who have different political choices from the Minister of Villages," said the PKB politician.

The legislator for the East Java XI electoral district also assessed that the Minister of Village Yandri Susanto and the ranks of the Kemendes PDT should focus on supporting President Prabowo Subianto's priority program. According to him, in the midst of increasing public attention to the government, the minister should not take policies that could trigger public unrest.

"The Minister should focus on supporting the Free Nutrition Eating Program, food self-sufficiency programs, and self-sufficiency in energy set by Pak Prabowo, why should there be a new commotion," he concluded.

Previously, the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Kemendes PDT) explicitly stated that village assistants who had registered as candidates for legislative members (caleg) at all levels were obliged to resign.

"Village assistants if they want to nominate themselves as candidates for members of the DPR, DPD or DPRD concerned must resign as stipulated in Article 240 paragraph (1) letter k, l and m of Law 7 of 2017 concerning Elections," said Head of the Agency for Human Resources Development and Empowerment of Village and Disadvantaged Regions of the Ministry of Villages. PDT Agustomi Masik in Jakarta, Tuesday, February 25.