Tito Karnavian Asks KPU To Ban Physical Music Concert Campaigns

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian (Photo: Instagram @titokarnavian)

JAKARTA - Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian asked the General Election Commission (KPU) to prohibit candidate pairs from carrying out physical campaigns with the type of music concerts in the 2020 Pilkada.

"We suggest that all crowd-based regulations in the context of COVID-19 transmission, which cannot keep their distance, are closed," said Tito during a joint hearing with the Indonesian Parliament, Monday, September 21.

Tito said, the form of general meeting campaign with music concert entertainment, however, would be difficult to control in order to stick to health protocols.

Even though, in KPU Regulation No. 6/2020 concerning the implementation of regional elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, a maximum limit of 100 people is regulated in the general meeting campaign, Tito considered this limitation to be impossible.

"A hundred people in the open are difficult to control. Especially accompanied by songs. You see, if the songs or music are interesting, popular music, eventually they come in droves," said Tito.

Therefore, continued Tito, KPU must regulate music concert campaign activities only allowed in virtual form or online.

"For that, it needs to be firmly stated that there is a concert, it can be held but virtually. There is music, there is singing, but in a virtual way, not physically let alone open the stage," he explained.

Previously, KPU Commissioner Viryan Azis said that the technical arrangements regarding the campaign with the type of music concert had not been discussed in a final manner.

"The regulations (music concert campaign) are not final. We are still harmonizing these regulations to be perfected," said Viryan in a webinar discussion, Saturday, September 19.

For technical regulations, the KPU will create a new PKPU specifically for campaign activities during the COVID-19 pandemic by paying attention to the application of health protocols. It could, he said, that the music concert campaign was carried out online.

"With current conditions, of course it must be adjusted. In PKPU Number 6 of 2020 it has been stated that all activities that have the potential to violate the COVID-19 protocol, such as crowds, are not possible and carried out online," said Viryan.