Jakarta IDN Times – Executive Director of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) Khoirunnisa Nur Agustyati or Ninis said that Indonesia’s elections are still procedural.
“Many say that elections in Indonesia are still procedural elections, not yet substantial elections,” said Ninis in a public discussion themed ‘The Future of Indonesian Democracy in the New Leadership Period’ with Paramadina University and LP3ES, Sunday (21/4/2024).
She also said that achieving substantial elections requires good procedures, according to democratic principles.
“But if we can evaluate the organization of our elections last February, it seems that even the procedural ones still have many problems,” he said.
1. Election governance is considered to have regressed
Some of the problems that occur in the 2024 elections include governance. “For example, how the election organizers themselves, in preparing the stages of organizing the election, are considered to have experienced many setbacks,” he said.
He gave an example in making rules and technicalities that were not carried out. “In making technical rules in several cases, for example, something that should have been arranged by the election organizers but then it was not done,” continued Ninis.
She gave an example of the arrangement of electoral districts that had become a decision of the Constitutional Court (MK), but was not carried out so that it was not in accordance with the principles of organizing elections.
“Or for example associated with the affirmation policy, it also experienced a setback, talking about democracy is impossible without involving women, but then it also experienced a setback which actually emerged from the organization of our elections,” said Ninis.
2. The KPU is plagued by ethical problems
Another problem is the ethical issues that entangle the General Elections Commission (KPU). “The Chairman of the KPU has been given ethical sanctions many times by the Honorary Board of Election Organizers (DKPP), the ethical sanctions are not just sanctions that are reprimands, but ethical sanctions that (are) the last hard warning, but the hard warning is many times,” he said.
Therefore, he conceded that procedurally the 2024 elections still have many problems.
“So even from the procedural side, there are still many problems, even though one of the principles of organizing democratic elections is predictable procedure unpredictable result.”
Ninis also gave an example of the recapitulation of the counting results. “The KPU regulation on the recapitulation of the count has only been issued as far as I remember, the PKPU for the recapitulation was only issued on the 13th (February) night or the 12th (February) night, so it was very tight,” said Ninis.
3. Money politics is still difficult to be charged as a criminal act
Another problem in the 2024 elections, said Ninis, is that there are still many articles in the Election Law whose effectiveness is unclear.
“If we look at the many criminal articles in the Election Law, the trend is that there are more and more, but whether they are effective or not, whether they provide a deterrent effect or not (is unknown),” said Ninis.
She also added that money politics or vote buying is often difficult to be charged as a criminal act.
“The reality is that in the field vote buying, money politics in the community is actually an election crime, but it is still rampant and cannot ensnare the intellectual actors, even if there are (those) caught as field actors,” she said.
“In the field (perpetrators of money politics), cannot be charged because for example it is said that it does not meet the elements, because if it is called a campaign by distributing money, the elements must be complete, it must convey the vision and mission, convey the program, there is an invitation, self-image, so if just for example someone gives an envelope without saying eh later vote for me, well that does not enter the (criminal) elements,” added Ninis.
This article was published on Idntimes.com with the title “Perludem: 2024 Elections Still Procedural, Many Problems”, https://www.idntimes.com/news/indonesia/irsan-rufai-hamdalah/perludem-pemilu-2024-masih-prosedural-banyak-masalah.