The issue of violence in elections is not widely raised by the media. In fact, the definition of violence in elections is still confusing. Several cases of violence in elections have been brought up by the media, such as the shooting case against a member of the success team (Timses) of the candidate pair in the Papua Regional Head Election (Pilkada), the bombing of the Timses car in the Aceh Pilkada, and Riziq Shihab's remarks against former Governor of DKI Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. However, these cases did not receive significant attention.
What is election violence?
Violence in election or election violence, if it follows the term used by the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), is an act that causes injury or death to a person or damage to private/public property or threats/physical coercion/killing related to the political rights of citizens in the context of elections. Election violence is not the same as election violations, because election violence is a crime so it is included in the category of criminal acts.
“This is the definition we use with reference to the KBBI (Big Indonesian Dictionary) and other literature. Election violence is not the same as election violations. Election violence is a crime. That's the baseline that we use," explained the Executive Director of Perludem, Titi Anggraini, at the discussion and launch of the Election Violence Reporting Tool at the Media Center of the Indonesian General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), Gondangdia, Central Jakarta (3/13).
Election violence is divided into three forms. One, is physical violence, namely violence that results in someone losing their life or being injured. Two, destruction, both to public facilities and private property. Three, threats, namely threats of violence or threats of destruction.
The division of these categories is based on Article 280 paragraph (1) letters f and g of the Election Law. The regulation prohibits campaign implementers, participants, and campaign teams from committing violence or advocating the use of violence against a person, group of community members, and/or other election participants, and also prohibits damaging and/or eliminating campaign props (APK) for eligible participants.
Sanctions for acts of election violence are contained in Articles 511 and 531 of the Election Law. Article 511 provides maximum imprisonment of three years and a maximum fine of 36 million rupiahs for any person who by force, by threat of violence, or by using the power available to him, prevents a person from being registered as a voter. Meanwhile, Article 531 punishes any person who intentionally uses violence, and or hinders someone who will exercise their right to vote, carries out activities that cause disturbances to the order and peace of the voting implementation, or thwarts the voting, with a maximum imprisonment of 2 years and a maximum fine of 24 million rupiahs.
Causes of election violence
According to the United States Institute of Peace, election violence occurred due to the incumbent involving the military to fight the opposition, and the inclusion of group identity accompanied by violent speech. In Indonesia, according to Titi, there are at least three causes of election violence. One, the local political situation, which is related to political independence like in Papua. Two, mass mobilization by political elites who do not accept the election process and results. Three, distrust of the KPU's integrity.
“This distrust of the KPU has fueled election violence. Therefore, we say that too intensive narratives that delegitimize election organizers can contribute to apathy and election violence. In the initial phase of direct local elections, for example, a lot of violence occurred due to the spread of distrustful opinions about the professionalism and integrity of the KPU," explained Titi.
Traces of violence in the 2017 and 2018 Pilkada
Perludem recorded 6 cases of election violence that occurred in the 2017 Pilkada. Two cases were in the Intan Jaya Pilkada, 1 case in the Puncak Jaya Pilkada, 1 case in the Yapen Islands Pilkada, 1 case in the Simalungun Pilkada, and one case in the DKI Jakarta Pilkada.
The worst election violence occurred in Intan Jaya. 4 people died, 600 were injured, and the office of the Regional General Election Commission (KPUD) Intan Jaya caught fire. The violence occurred during the waiting period for the postponement of the election results.
In Puncak Jaya, four people were killed and 14 houses burned when a claim of victory emerged in the disputed outcome process at the Constitutional Court (MK). In the Yapen Islands, the Yapen Islands KPU office was burned down because of disappointment with the integrity and professionalism of the election organizers.
In Simalungun and DKI Jakarta, election violence took the form of threats. The Simalungun KPU office was threatened with fire if the KPU dropped the candidacy of one of the candidate pairs. Meanwhile in Jakarta the threat of violence was addressed to one of the candidate pairs. Riziq Shihab was recorded by media reports saying "Kill Ahok Right Now". ‘Ucapan Riziq Shihab itu sempat kita identifikasi di pemberitaan media, jadi bisa diverifikasi,” tukas Titi.
In the 2018 Pilkada, five cases of election violence occurred in the provinces of Papua, South Sulawesi, and East Java. In the Papuan Pilkada, violence took 6 lives. A group of people shot the hostages at the bandera and attacked the logistics carrier plane. Then in the Central Memberamo Pilkada, the KPU office and the Bawaslu office were burned as a form of protest against the Constitutional Court's decision.
Switching islands, one Timses was shot by another member of the Timses candidate pair in the Empat Lawang Pilkada. The death victim even came from the election organizers, namely the Voting Committee (PPS) in Sampang Regency, during the East Java Pilkada.
“If you pay attention to these cases, election violence occurred at the stages of nomination, campaign, election silence, day of voting, determination of results, and dispute over results. We have passed the nomination stage. During the campaign stage, you need to be careful because the new general meeting will start on March 24. So, there are five stages with the potential for election violence to take place next,” said Titi.
Election violence is very likely to occur in the 2019 Election
The 2019 election is a zone of fierce political competition. The presidential candidates who are competing in the Presidential Election (Pilpres) are the same candidates in the 2014 Presidential Election. 16 political parties are fighting to pass the 4 percent parliamentary threshold. This fierce competition, amid growing political polarization and the spread of hoaxes, disinformation, misinformation, and hate politics, is seen as fertile ground for the seeds of election violence. The 2019 election is a test for the consolidation of Indonesia's democracy.
“The spread of hoaxes, disinformation and misinformation can trigger violence. Moreover, it is intertwined with political fanaticism and limited access to credible information,” said Titi.
For this reason, Titi encourages all parties to participate in the work of eradicating hoaxes, disinformation, and misinformation. Especially for election organizers, it is hoped that their performance will be transparent and show themselves as an independent and impartial institution. The public, according to her, wants the election organizers to meet their expectations of an election organizer that is transparent, accountable, professional, and with integrity. [ ]
AMALIA SALABI
Translated by Catherine Natalia
