Minister Of Home Affairs Tito: Don't Think Of The 2020 Regional Elections As Ordinary

Home Minister Tito Karnavian (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian said that the implementation of the 2020 Simultaneous Pilkada was not just an ordinary democratic party, but phenomenal. This is because it took place successfully in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

This was conveyed by Tito Karnavian when giving a speech at the virtual launch of the Evaluative Study Book for Handling Election Violations in 2020 which was held by the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), reported by Antara, Thursday, August 26.

"I want to remind you that we should not assume that the events on December 9, 2020 are something that can be done. We are carrying out a very extraordinary, phenomenal job. So please, don't take this phenomenal activity for granted," said Minister of Home Affairs Tito.

The holding of simultaneous regional elections in the midst of the pandemic crisis has never been experienced by Indonesia, and made history as the second largest election in the world during the pandemic after the United States presidential election.

"We are holding elections in the midst of such a situation and this is not an easy one, this is the second biggest election in the world after the United States," he also said. Tito.

First, is to continue holding elections in the midst of a pandemic crisis as South Korea did in March 2020. The second scenario, he continued, is to postpone the election, but still hold it in 2020.

"We (Indonesia) take the second option, delaying it from September to December due to preparations. So we will continue to carry out the elections in 2020," he said again.

The last scenario is a country delaying the election to the following year, due to their unpreparedness to carry out the election stages in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite delaying the implementation of the 2020 Simultaneous Pilkada, he also said, Indonesia was able to achieve public participation of up to 76.09 percent and did not cause an increase in the number of active case transmissions in 270 pilkada areas.

"What happened was that in the analysis of 270 regions that held regional elections, the number of COVID-19 fell, areas that did not have elections rose," he also said.

Therefore, with the experience of the 2020 Pilkada, Tito asked the election organizers and related parties to be sure that the 2024 General Election and the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Head Election could still be carried out according to the schedule.