Observer: State Officials Should Resign To Maintain Civil Servant Netrality

Public FISIP policy observer at Jember University Hermanto Rohman. (ANTARA)

Public policy observer at the University of Jember Hermanto Rohman asked state officials who run as presidential and vice presidential candidates and their winning teams to resign from their positions to maintain the neutrality of ASN, although regulations are not required to resign.

"This is to avoid conflicts of interest as well as potential for the use of his position and position facilities as a campaign tool, so they should resign," he said in Jember Regency, East Java, Saturday.

A number of state officials were also included in the Prabowo-Gibran National Campaign Team (TKN) including the Chairman of the Presidential Balance Council (Wantimpres) Wiranto, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad.

Then the Ganjar-Mahfud National Winning Team (TPN) included Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno, Chairman of the House of Representatives Puan Maharani and Deputy Chairperson of the People's Consultative Assembly Ahmad Basarah.

Furthermore, the Anies-Muhaimin Winning National Team included Deputy Chairperson of the MPR Jazilul Fawaid, Deputy Chairperson of the MPR Hidayat Nur Wahid and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachmat Gobel.

"These state officials will certainly affect the neutrality of ASN and its subordinates, so they should also be brave and ethically miss their positions," said the Jember University FISIP academic.

He explained that the regulation on the rules of the Election Law and the Constitutional Court's decision on the Election Law clearly explained that ministerial state officials, governors, mayors, legislators do not have to resign to nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates, but ethically and morally they should resign.

"By not resigning, it indicates a lack of seriousness and can be interpreted as a form of greed for position," said the academic of the Public Administration Study Program.

Previously, President Joko Widodo issued Government Regulation Number 53 of 2023 on November 21, 2023 which stated that ministers, legislative members and regional heads were not required to resign from their positions if they ran as presidential and vice presidential candidates in the 2024 presidential election.

The PP also stipulates that ministers, ministerial-level officials and regional heads can carry out campaign leave in the 2024 General Election.

Presidential Special Staff Coordinator AAGN Ari Dwipayana in Jakarta in his statement stated that based on this provision, the decision to resign or not to the minister or regional head when running for the presidential election was an individual choice.