General elections are a democratic party participated by millions of people in Indonesia. This big celebration becomes a benchmark for a country to effectuate its political system. Hence, the general elections require concerns and assistance from all people to watch over and assist the election process. People should take concern for assisting the legislative and executive elections so that the general elections will be clean, facile, and integrated.
Commissioner of the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY) Muhammad Amir Nashiruddin, S.HI. explained that the general elections have a potential to obtain disturbances, namely non-neutrality elections, money politics, and a lack of participation from the people.
“Many factors can disturb the general elections. Partiality is a common phenomenon in the general elections which sometimes lead to fraudulence in the polling place (TPS). Besides, money politics from campaign teams is quite inevitable,” stated Amir at Briefing Session and Deployment of Supervision of General Elections of Community Service of UMY conducted by Office of Research, Publication, and Community Service of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (LP3M UMY) and the Bawaslu of DIY at Hall of A.R. Fachruddin B Building on Wednesday (20/3).
Amir did not refuse that there were several parties from the general election committees who did deception. For instance, people started using backup ballots to deceive the general elections. The other example includes an action of people who voted more than once. Consequently, the Bawaslu urges all people to assist and oversee the general election in April 2019. He added, “Participation from the people comprises of prevention, supervision, provision of information, reporting, and witness.”
In the general elections, people begin to be aware of political issues, namely politicization of ethnicity, eeligion, and eace (SARA), validity of voters’ data, black campaign, money politics, stages of the election, and neutrality of the State Civil Apparatus (ASN), the Indonesian Military (TNI), and the National Police (Polri).
To support a clean, peaceful, and secure general elections, UMY commits to be active in the general election. UMY sent 186 students to be assigned in 22 villages of 18 sub-districts in various regencies as Sleman, Bantul, Kulonprogo, Gunung Kidul, and Kota Yogyakarta. The community service is conducted from 25 March to 24 April.
The community service program was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UMY and Bawaslu of the Republic of Indonesia on 20 January at Village Hall of Hargomulyo, Kokap, Kulon Progo. The MoU was a result of Village Declaration on Anti-Money Politics (APU). The APU program is a concrete action to create a qualified and integrated election.
Furthermore, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of UMY Dr. Ir. Sukamta, S.T., M.T. hoped that all students can follow the community service to take all positive aspects because they are directly involved in the celebration of democracy. Sukamta also instructed to all students to hold a sturdy stance so that students will not follow bad political flow. Students should take decisions based on Islamic and Muhammadiyah values. “As UMY students, it is obvious to spread Islamic and Muhammadiyah values. Students also need to be persistent towards every condition that may occur,” he emphasized.
