By: Lukman Keenan Adar )*
The holding of the 2024 General Election (Pemilu) is a big event which is celebrated by all levels of society. It is through this election that the future of the Indonesian nation is determined by 5 minutes in the voting booth, so that the role of the community is needed in supervising the course of the election.
In the implementation of the elections which will be held in 2024, it is hoped that the public will be able to take a role in the success of the 5-year agenda. Moreover, the potential for fraud will always be there.
The community also needs to be involved if the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) organizes a participatory supervision program, such as education for women’s participatory supervision with supervisory powers. The program is a reflection of Bawaslu in the representation of women in democracy, especially in election management.
So far, community participation activities are sometimes still understood as an effort to mobilize people for the benefit of the government and the state, even though ideally the community also participates in determining government policies which are part of community control over government policies.
Bawaslu of Bantul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta held a declaration of joint supervision of the 2024 Simultaneous Elections at the Sultan Agung Stadium Parking Lot in February 2023. The declaration was attended by the Chair of the Bantul Bawaslu, the Head of the Bantul Police, the Regional Secretary of the Bantul Regency, as well as a number of community elements in Bantul.
This declaration is important considering that elections are a means of implementing people’s sovereignty to elect the President, Vice President, DPR, DPD, Provincial DPRD and Regency/City DPRD to Regional Heads.
Regarding the preparations for the stages of the general election process, the Chairperson of the Bantul Bawaslu, Harlina, SH followed up instructions from the RI Bawaslu (Central) that the Bantul Regency Bawaslu is ready to supervise the stages of the Election which will be held on the upcoming 14 February 2024.
Referring to the Election Vulnerability Index (IKP) issued by the RI Bawaslu, Bantul Regency is included in moderate vulnerability. Herlina rate, this category is better than the previous year’s category. However, public participation and awareness have an important role in the upcoming 2024 general election stage.
Herlina also added that the objectives of the declaration work program include serving as a media for outreach to the community, as well as establishing cooperation with local government agencies and universities in Bantul Regency.
In addition, this declaration also invites the introduction of the Jarimu Watch Election application which can be used by the digital community to gather community involvement in overseeing the stages of the election. Bawaslu also provides Complaint Centers for Monitoring Voting Rights, both at the provincial, district, sub-district and village levels. The purpose of the post is that people who have met the criteria for the right to vote but have not registered the right to vote can submit to the post.
Of course these activities are useful for compiling the synergy of all parties in the implementation of elections in order to minimize violations and disputes in elections. Because after all, if people’s participation is low, the integrity of the election will also be low. So that synergy between institutions such as Bawaslu and the general public is absolutely necessary for the success of the 2024 elections.
Of course, a good election process must adhere to the principles of honesty and fairness. In addition, it must also be clean from any dirty practices. Thus, it is necessary to supervise widely by cooperating with all elements of society and part of the form of political education.
Communities with a control function must have the courage to report to Bawaslu if they become aware of any election violations, such as distributing groceries or distributing money by showing sufficient evidence. Such dirty actions are of course not justified and can damage the health of democracy in Indonesia.
Money politics itself does not have a standard definition. The term that is known as money politics is used to describe the practice of political corruption, clientelism, and vote buying. Money politics itself is an attempt to bribe voters by providing money or services so that voter preferences can be given to bribes.
There are also various types of money politics. There are things that can be categorized as money politics, such as the use of state facilities for personal gain in connection with elections or local elections. Other types of money politics can be in the form of providing highway facilities or providing bridge facilities that use the state budget for personal gain.
Money politics action only increases the potential for potential corruptors to undermine the nation’s wealth. So that supervision from the public during elections will still be needed in order to produce honest and trustworthy leaders. Not a leader who actually intends to “return on investment”.
The community must also play a role in reducing all forms of political intimidation, because after all, the community has the right to make their own choices without having to come under pressure from any party. This is of course in line with the principle that the voice of the people is the voice of God.
Oversight of the 2024 elections is a shared responsibility, not just the Bawaslu or the security forces. The community has an important role in overseeing the election for the future of the Nation for the next 5 years.
)* The author is a contributor to Persada Institute