Jakarta, Election Supervisory Body - Bawaslu fully supports social assistance programs (social assistance) provided by the government to the community to ease the burden of living the impact of the Corona virus pandemic. However, Bawaslu conducts supervision to ensure that the program is purely humanitarian and the responsibility of the government, not to be used in the interests of the 2020 elections.
"Of course there is no intention to hinder the process of providing social assistance. But we conduct surveillance to ensure that this social assistance is indeed for humanity and is not misused for the interests of the elections," said Ratna Dewi Pettalolo Bawaslu Member in an online discussion held by Central Kalimantan Bawaslu on Monday. (5/18/2020).
She views, the presence of Bawaslu in escorting social assistance is very important. Because the provision of social assistance potentially leads to a ban contained in Law (Law) Number 10 of 2016 Article 71 Paragraph 3. The regulation reads: Governor or Deputy Governor, Regent or Deputy Regent, and Mayor or Deputy Mayor is prohibited from using authority, programs, and activities that are beneficial or detrimental to one of the pairs of candidates both in their area and in other regions within 6 (six) months before the date of the determination of the candidate pairs until the determination of the selected candidate pairs.
"So, this social assistance is very much related to Article 71 Paragraph 3, it does not refer to the provisions of Article 72 Paragraph 3 about money politics," said the doctor of law graduate from Makassar State University.
Dewi explained the provision of social assistance for the sake of nomination in the elections is a criminal act of election as regulated in Law Number 10 of 2016 Article 71 paragraph 3 junto Article 188. "So in this Article 71 paragraph 3, violations can be subject to two sanctions, criminal and administrative. "criminal sanctions are discussed with the police and prosecutors in the Gakkumdu Center (Election Law Enforcement). Then if administrative violations will be carried out handling administrative violations," said Dewi.
For information, according to the results of supervision conducted by the Provincial Bawaslu and Regency/City Bawaslu, there was a distribution of social assistance during the co-19 pandemic. Basic food distribution was carried out in 23 regencies/cities in 11 provinces that were suspected of being politicized by incumbent candidates. One of the things that burst was by attaching a picture of the head of the region in the social assistance.
"According to information that went up to the Indonesian Election Supervisory Body, there were 23 regencies/cities in 11 provinces suspected of conducting politicization by attaching images of incumbent candidates in social assistance," concluded Dewi.
Editor: THS Ranap
Photographer: Jaa Pradana
