Campaign Performance Equipment Begins To Rise, KPU Must Be Firm In Order To Avoid Frictions

Bali Satpol PP officers dispatched Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD billboards at the location of President Jokowi's working visit at Pasar Bulan, Gianyar, Bali, Tuesday (31/10/2023). (Between/Ni Putu Putri Muliantari/aa)

JAKARTA - The removal of Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD billboards in Bali caused a polemic. In the aftermath of the war on comments between PDIP and the presidential camp of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

Previously, a video circulated on social media of officers from the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP) removing the billboards of the couple promoted by PDIP in Gianyar, Bali.

The removal was carried out along the road where President Jokowi's working visit was at the Batu Bulan Village Hall, Gianyar Regency, Bali, Tuesday (31/10/2023).

The seventh President of the Republic of Indonesia visited Gianyar for a working visit to SMK Negeri 3 Sukawati, Pasar Bulan, and the Batubulan Cultural Center.

From the video circulating, it can be seen that Satpol PP officers removed the billboards of the Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD pairs. Not only that, they also lowered the flag with the PDIP logo.

According to the Head of the Bali Satpol PP Nyoman Rai Dharmadi in Gianyar, the revocation of the attribute was an order of the Acting Governor of Bali Sang Made Mahendra Jaya.

"What is certain is that we were asked to revoke political attributes at the event location. We don't see that the PDIP flag, Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD, has nothing to do with it," Rai said.

After the incident, PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto said removing the party flag and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD billboards prior to Jokowi's working visit had hurt the sense of justice.

Hasto also mentioned the politics of discrimination in the case. He said Jokowi had previously asked the Acting Regional Heads to be neutral in the 2024 presidential election.

"That the democracy conveyed to convey expressions through the installation of political party flags, which have been determined by the KPU, has dropped and hurt the sense of justice," said Hasto after a meeting of the winning team at the High End Building, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (1/11/2023).

Meanwhile, political observer from Al-Azhar University Indonesia, Ujang Komarudin, said that the steps taken by the Acting Governor of Bali to remove Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD's billboards during President Jokowi's working visit were considered positive so that the presidential election would run neutral.

Ujang considered this step appropriate in order to avoid various accusations that could be addressed to Jokowi, considering that the former Governor of DKI Jakarta had conveyed to all state officials to be neutral.

"To avoid speculative accusations against the president which are considered to later support certain parties, one-sided weights, and so on," said Ujang, quoted by Antara.

The circulation of banners, billboards, pamphlets, flags, and posters in each presidential election campaign is commonplace. Citing the General Election Commission (KPU) website, all of these objects are classified as campaign props.

Campaign props are one of the ways that candidates for legislative members, political parties, governor and deputy governor candidates, as well as presidential and vice presidential candidates to be more popular and known to the public.

However, specifically regarding the use of campaign materials or campaign props, there are regulations governing the placement or implementation of this APK. As stated in Articles 70 and 71 of Law (UU) 7 of 2017 concerning Elections.

Article 71 states that public places that are prohibited from being attached to campaign materials are places of worship, hospitals or places of health services, educational places, government-owned buildings or facilities, protocol roads, freeways, public facilities and infrastructure and/or parks and trees.

Meanwhile, in Article 71, campaign props are prohibited from being installed in public places, namely places of worship, hospitals or places of health services, educational places, government-owned buildings or facilities, certain government-owned facilities, and other facilities that can disrupt public order.

In addition, the installation of campaign props should also be carried out only during the campaign period. In the 2024 presidential election, the KPU has set a campaign period starting from November 28, 2023 to February 10, 2024.

Criminal law observer Masykur Isnan sees two sides of the removal of Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD's billboard and the flag bearing the PDIP logo coincided with President Jokowi's visit to Bali.

First from the installing side. In this case, it means that it has displayed campaign props even though it has not yet entered the campaign period.

"From the context of the installer, this is the context of campaigning because it displays campaign props. Actually, it's not possible because it's not the time for the campaign. There is already a timeline for the campaign," said Masykur to VOI.

But on the other hand, Masykur questioned whether the process of removing billboards was indeed a control or there was another tendency. He also hopes that the KPU will strictly strengthen campaign props that are scattered outside the campaign period in order to avoid friction in the community.

"What is the potential for billboards to be lowered? To ensure that elections are safe or there are other tendencies. Do not let there be conflicts in society," Masykur added.

In the future, the KPU and Bawaslu will have to actively monitor and control. Not only in Bali, but also in other areas. This is to avoid friction in the community. Don't take each other down, so there will be friction," he concluded.