On June 27, 2018, communities in 171 regions across the country will hold simultaneous regional head elections (Pilkada). At the same time, the political process leading up to the 2019 legislative elections (Pileg) and presidential elections (Pilpres) has also begun.

In response to these two major events, a number of civil society organizations concerned with democracy, including the Tifa Foundation, have called for a clean electoral process to always be prioritized. This is because a clean electoral process is an effective tool for citizens to correct and drive change regarding policies or political decisions deemed flawed. Otherwise, according to Tifa Foundation Executive Director Darmawan Triwibowo, the electoral process will merely serve as a facade for democracy.

“If this mechanism is undermined by malpractice and misconduct—such as corruption and rampant conflicts of interest within the electoral management body—then electoral politics will serve merely as a facade of democracy,” he said.

Darmawan added that if that were to happen, electoral politics would merely become an empty formality, as it would fail to empower voters to take control of the process they are undergoing.

To prevent this, the Tifa Foundation is focusing its efforts this election year, in part, on encouraging civil society organizations to play an active role in fostering clean electoral politics. Specifically, the Tifa Foundation is working to advance four key objectives: preventing political corruption and the misuse of political funds; promoting accountability and transparency among election administrators; curbing the use of hate speech and incitement against minority groups; and ensuring the neutrality of the military and police during the electoral process.

Read the full joint statement from the Civil Society Coalition for Clean Local Elections in the press release below.

Joint Appeal

Clean and Democratic Electoral Politics for Regional Elections, Presidential Elections, and Legislative Elections

In June 2018, we will hold simultaneous regional head elections [Pilkada] in 171 regions, while simultaneously navigating the political process leading up to the 2019 presidential and legislative elections. This electoral process not only provides an opportunity forcitizen voters to hold their representatives and leaders accountable, but also a chance to strengthen the institutionalization of democracy in Indonesia. However, this electoral process will not serve as an effective instrument for democratization if the integrity of the process and its management is tainted by various ongoing malpractices, particularly:

• The Politicization of Ethnicity, Religion, Race, and Intergroup Relations
• Criminalization of political opponents
• The spread of misinformation, hate speech, and intimidation
• The lack of neutrality among state officials (police, military, civil servants, and intelligence agencies) as well as election authorities [KPU and Bawaslu];
• The practice of vote-buying and bribery;
• Document forgery and manipulation of procedures for conducting regional elections, presidential elections, and legislative elections

Given the seriousness of the threat posed by these harmful practices, we issue the following appeal:

1. As voters, the public must take an active role in monitoring and ensuring that the electoral process proceeds in accordance with the principles of the rule of law and respect for human rights. As responsible voters, the public is expected to help shape the future of this nation by electing leaders who value democracy, embrace and nurture diversity, support the fight against corruption, and do not prioritize ethnic or religious identities.
2. State institutions, particularly the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri), as well as intelligence agencies, must remain neutral and professional. The National Police Chief and the TNI Commander-in-Chief must ensure that any regional head candidates from the TNI or Polri do not use the power, resources, or territorial networks of the TNI or Polri in regional elections. Firm, open, and transparent action must be taken against TNI/Polri members proven to be engaging in practical politics and/or providing support [openly or covertly] to specific candidates. This must be carried out with independence and a focus on ensuring security in accordance with their functions and duties. On the other hand, bureaucrats, particularly incumbents running for re-election, must not mobilize civil servants or use state facilities to rally votes.
3. Candidates competing in regional elections, legislative elections, and the presidential election must abide by the applicable rules and uphold ethical values. Dirty and undignified campaign practices—such as politicizing ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup relations [SARA] to gain votes; pitting people against one another and dividing society by spreading hatred and false news; and deliberately flouting rules and violating the values of propriety, decency, harmony, and unity—must not be tolerated.
4. Religious leaders should encourage their followers to remain united despite their differing political views. When religion is frequently politicized as it is today, it is truly degraded because it is merely used as a means to garner votes and a tool to secure victory. In such circumstances, religious leaders have the duty to restore the integrity of religion, serving as guides, peacemakers, moral authorities, and critics of matters that degrade the dignity of life and divide the nation. Religious leaders are tasked with ensuring that politics upholds values and truly becomes a means to build shared prosperity.
5. Political parties, as one of the engines of democracy, must earnestly uphold the dignity of democracy, which is both the mandate and the ideal of the reform movement. In a democratic country, political parties should not allow active-duty members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) to engage in political activities during regional elections. Turning a blind eye to such actions by TNI and Polri members constitutes a setback for security sector reform, which was a key component of the 1998 reform movement.
6. The KPU and Bawaslu monitor potential abusesof power, misuse of official resources, and other illegal activities. Election organizers must strictly adhere to applicable legal norms and regulations and remain unaffected by pressure or intimidation from parties seeking to undermine the democratic process.
7. Independent state institutions with a mandate to carry out their duties and functions in the areas of oversight, monitoring, and protection—such as the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the Ombudsman of Indonesia (ORI), and the National Police Commission (Kompolnas)—must fully exercise their mandates and authorities to prevent and address vulnerabilities in the simultaneous regional elections that could infringe upon citizens’ rights and lead to potential abuse of authority by state institutions. In this regard, the KPK [Corruption Eradication Commission] must also remain bold in investigating and arresting regional head candidates implicated in corruption cases.

Jakarta, March 25, 2018

YLBHI, KontraS, Imparsial, Perludem, Kode Inisiatif, Yayasan Pulih, KWI Commission on Human Rights, Setara Institute, TIFA Foundation, Ma’arif Institute, Indonesian Interfaith Network, LBH Jakarta, ELSAM, HRWG, SEJUK, Interfidei, IKOHI, PBHI, Fahmina Institute Cirebon, LAPAR Makassar, LK3 Banjarmasin.