Papuan academics hope that the regional elections will be adjusted to the conditions of the COVID pandemic

Elections during COVID pandemic

Jayapura (ANTARA) – Papuan academic, Dr. Mansyur hopes that the simultaneous regional elections must be adjusted to the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic in the local area.

Mansyur, who is the head of the Islamic Education Foundation (Yapis) in Tanah Papua, told Antara in Jayapura, Monday, that this adjustment was based on where the area is located.

“For example, being in the red zone, the election should be postponed,” he said.

According to Mansyur, the postponement of the pilkada was also adjusted to the conditions of the areas that were accessible or not.

“For Papua, for example Keerom, if the implementation is postponed there is no problem,” he said.

He explained that the postponement of the pilkada should not be sentenced to the same situation as other regions.

“The reason is, the election contestants have incurred costs during the stages and the process if all regional election participants are sentenced to the same,” he said again.

He added that what is clear, must be seen again the conditions in the regional election organizers, including the costs that will be incurred for the successful implementation of the national agenda.

Just to note, in Papua Province there are 11 districts that hold simultaneous regional elections for 2020, namely Yahukimo, Keerom, Bintang Mountains, Mamberamo Raya, Merauke, Boven Digoel, Asmat, Supiori, Waropen, Yalimo and Nabire.

Elections during COVID pandemic

Notes

A former Dutch colony, West Papua was formally incorporated into Indonesia in 1969, after an undisputed vote of about 1,025 representative tribal leaders. The result of the plebiscite was overseen and endorsed by the United Nations.

Since the democratization in 1998, especially since 2007, democracy by mean of elections has been introduced to increase political participation in the two provinces. The fact that the leaders of Papua and West Papua provinces are democratically elected by the people has strengthened the legality of the region as a province of Indonesia.