The community plays an important role in ensuring safe regional elections

By : Imam al Mubaroq )*

In 2024, Indonesia will hold simultaneous regional elections which have the potential to be marred by fraud which needs to be anticipated early. The community also needs to continue to synergize with election organizers such as the KPU to jointly supervise the implementation of the regional elections so that they run safely and smoothly.

Executive Director of the Indonesian Democracy and Electoral Empowerment Partnership (DEEP), Neni Nur Hayati, highlighted the potential for continued fraudulent practices as occurred in the previous presidential election. The public is advised to be more alert and proactive in monitoring the election process for the sake of realizing a healthy democracy.

Neni expressed her concern about the possibility of abuse of power by certain individuals to win the regional election contestation. He noted that the modus operandi used in the previous elections could be repeated in the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections, especially considering the condition of the people who still need social assistance and education costs.

The alleged involvement of DPR RI members in utilizing the Indonesia Smart College Card (KIPK) program for political purposes in Polewali Mandar (Polman) Regency is a clear example of the potential for abuse of this power.

According to Neni, a strategy like this is considered effective in gaining votes, but is very detrimental to the integrity of the election. He emphasized that such actions were not only carried out before the voting, but could even start long before the nomination stage.

Therefore, he called on the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) to start carrying out strict supervision of political party movements from an early age. Neni also highlighted the need for Bawaslu to have firmness and courage in handling election violations so that no state budget is used for hidden campaign purposes.

On the other hand, the President’s Special Staff for Education and Innovation, Billy Mambrasar, also expressed his concern about the distribution of the KIPK program which was allegedly used as a campaign tool by unscrupulous members of the DPR. Billy emphasized that the KIPK program should be run by the executive agency, in this case the Ministry of Education and Culture, and not by the legislature.

In the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections, the potential for fraud will be even greater considering the high level of political competition in various regions. Therefore, concrete steps are needed from all parties, including the government, electoral institutions and society, to jointly safeguard the implementation of clean and fair elections.

One important step that can be taken is to strengthen the role of Bawaslu in election supervision. Bawaslu needs to be given greater authority and adequate support to carry out its duties.

Strict supervision must be carried out not only during the campaign and voting, but also from the nomination stage. Apart from that, Bawaslu must have the courage to take firm action against every violation that occurs, without discrimination.

The public also has an important role in preventing election fraud. Active community participation in monitoring the election process is very necessary. Good political education and outreach regarding the importance of clean elections must continue to be encouraged.

In this context, the role of the media is also very important. The media must act as a watchdog to monitor the course of the election and report any suspected fraud to the public. The media must also provide accurate and balanced information regarding the election process and social assistance programs. In this way, people will get correct information and will not be easily influenced by fake news or political propaganda.

The 2024 Simultaneous Pilkada is an important moment for Indonesian democracy. The successful implementation of clean and fair elections will be an indicator of the progress of democracy in this country. Therefore, all parties must be committed to maintaining election integrity.

)* Persada Institute