Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | 12:19 WIB

Election Commission’s 1:46 am announcement raises doubt over KPU

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IO, Jakarta – The public was shocked by the announcement of the 2019 Elections’ electoral vote count, which was released earlier than expected. Many days earlier, the Election Commission (Komisi Pemilihan Umum – “KPU”) had scheduled the national announcement for vote count summary on 22 May 2019. Recently, there were rumors that the announcement would be delayed to either 25 May or 28 May 2019. Yet KPU suddenly announced the summarized results of the 2019 Elections on early morning Tuesday (21/05/2019) at about 01.46 a.m. WIB, while most of the people were fast asleep.

Airlangga University political observer Suko Widodo hopes that the political heat for the past 18 months is lowered with the early statement made by KPU. He said that people who are dissatisfied with KPU’s decision can use the legal mechanisms and procedures for resolving this issue.

Unlike Suko, the Presidium of United Movements Andrianto stated that the step taken by KPU Chairman Arief Budiman and his staff is inappropriate and improper, as KPU has violated its own intention of making the announcement on 22 May 2019. The plan was to follow the tradition of making the vote count announcement on the very last day of deadline. Andrianto feels this is sufficient reason to doubt KPU’s independence and credibility.

Meanwhile, senior reporter Asyari Usman stated that KPU’s method and time for announcing the results of the 2019 Presidential Elections merely strengthens the people’s suspicion that the KPU has defrauded them. The announcement made very early on Tuesday morning (21/5/2019) was awkward and deliberate. “There is no doubt whatsoever that KPU is afraid to face the majority of the people whose victory whom they have robbed. Their action is very much dishonorable – they have not abided by the democratic process fairly and honestly. Therefore, the KPU is responsible for everything that happens, due to their action of having perverted the people’s vote,” he said.

Asyari states that KPU’s careless action strengthen the people’s suspicion that this electoral organization is a fraud mechanism. “They can design the vote count according to order. Today, KPU commissioners have confirmed that they have thievish minds, that they are sadistic and treacherous,” he said.

However, despite KPU’s announcement of vote count summary faster, with the result that the Incumbent pair Jokowi-Ma’ruf getting more votes than Prabowo-Sandi, there is something else that did not surprise the people: the economy. Indonesia’s economy remains sluggish and stagnant, a burden on the people. This announcement did absolutely nothing to ease the people’s economic burdens. The lack of incumbent effect proves that Jokowi-Amin are now awarded the people’s trust, especially in relation to the economy.

In fact, the raise of the prices of basic necessities such as chili, freshly butchered chicken, and a number of vegetables are unstoppable. Even worse: within the past week, the prices of these food commodities have risen several times. The people and the market did not welcome Jokowi-Amin’s victory – they protested the win because it is unfair and fraudulent.

The concern is that the people’s distrust of the fraudulently elected president will trigger the failure of the national economy in a short period. The people will feel that even worse economic bind from being led by a president without legitimacy. Note the stark difference with Prabowo-Sandi’s economic program that they only stated during their campaigns, but the people accepted these programs and they have revived their hopes of the worsening economic condition of the nation. In other words, Indonesia’s economy will rise if it were led by a president honestly, instead of fraudulently, one elected by a majority of the people. (D. Ramdani)

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