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Successful elections rest on absence of conflict: Police chief
Badrodin Haiti - JP/Wendra AjistyatamaThe National Police is the main institution responsible for security arrangements for the upcoming simultaneous regional elections
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Badrodin Haiti - JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
The National Police is the main institution responsible for security arrangements for the upcoming simultaneous regional elections. National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti recently talked with The Jakarta Post's Margareth S. Aritonang and Imanuddin Razak about security preparations ahead of the Dec. 9 political event.
Q: How will you measure your success in securing the elections?
A: It will be described as a success if the simultaneous regional elections are held in the absence of social conflict. Arguments are tolerable as long as they don't lead to physical violence. It will be a failure for us if people become anarchic and social conflicts erupt.
How prepared are the police for the upcoming simultaneous regional elections?
I have visited regions that will hold elections to check on everything. I have told our officers in the regions that ripples may emerge by the end of the campaign period, particularly during the electoral debates among candidates. They, however, are under control so far. We are also anticipating demonstrations due to stricter regulations imposed by the KPU [General Elections Commission], such as in Central Kalimantan where the KPU has eliminated a candidate pair.
But, fortunately, protests in Central Kalimantan have not led to violence, let alone destruction of public facilities.
We have designed security measures ahead of the elections, including a contingency plan in the case of emergency. Police officers that will be on duty during the elections have also been given special training regarding security precautions and preparations for the elections.
We also arranged a coordinating meeting involving all relevant parties, including election organizers, regional governments, contesting candidates, the police, the Indonesian Military [TNI], the Attorney General's Office [AGO], the National Intelligence Agency [BIN] and the media, during which I told the audience that the fate of the upcoming elections relied on all of us.
In conclusion, we have everything well prepared although we need to improve coordination among parties in the field.
Coordination between election organizers and the security forces; between organizers and local administrations or between organizers and candidates still needs improvement in order to be able to settle problems as soon as possible in order to avoid conflict.
We are set to deploy as many as 194,942 personnel, which also includes back-up from the TNI, to secure the elections.
A back-up security plan has been prepared and so has the equipment. In addition, the budget for security measures has also been prepared.
How do you plan to maintain security at all polling stations (TPS) in 269 regencies and mayoralties that will hold elections on Dec. 9?
We have designed some patterns according to the level of concern in each region. For example, we will deploy two police officers and four linmas [civilian neighborhood guards] to safeguard one TPS in an area considered insecure.
Meanwhile, we have also prepared on-duty police officers in neighborhoods where two polling stations are close to each other. On-duty officers can move quickly between the two stations to help each other.
You've mentioned that the TNI will help the police to maintain security. What role will the TNI personnel play?
The TNI personnel are not allowed to enter the TPS, only police officers can do that. They will only be on patrol around the polling stations. But, they can be deployed to execute contingency plans in times of emergency.
Who will fund these security plans?
Seventy percent of the money is from the regional budgets [APBD]. We [the police] contribute the rest, which will cover the contingency measures, from our own budget.
When will be the most risky time during the elections?
We are anticipating extra security measures approaching the end of the campaign period; during D-Day when voters cast their votes, during the vote counting and when the election winners are announced. These will be the most sensitive moments of the elections.
Do you pay extra attention to conflict-prone regions such as Papua or Poso [in Central Sulawesi] that are still considered insecure?
We have indicated several areas that are more prone to conflict than other regions. They include the provinces of Central Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, North Maluku and Papua.
These are all conflict-prone areas. Why? Because terrorist and fundamentalist groups that don't recognize [state ideology] Pancasila dwell in those places.
Based on your intelligence information, have they any plans to cause trouble?
There will be no problem if people refuse to exercise their voting rights. But, have no doubt we will take action against them if they disrupt the elections.
Are there any indications that they might do so?
No, there are none so far. However, all things are possible. We don't know what they might plan to do, when and where to cause trouble. Thus, we must remain alert. We will continuously increase our vigilance.
How will the police deal with violations during the elections?
Our main job is to maintain security. We are responsible to make sure that the elections run peacefully so that all eligible voters can cast their votes.
We also monitor the whole process. We will help facilitate disputes, for example, in order to make sure the process runs smoothly.
Lastly, we will enforce the law regarding any violations be they administrative, ethical or election disputes. The police are responsible for investigating cases of violations.
We, however, are not alone in doing so. We are part of the integrated law-enforcement team that is led by the Elections Supervisory Committee [Panwaslu]. Others are the National Police, the Elections Supervisory Agency [Bawaslu] and the AGO.
People may report all kinds of violations to this integrated team. Panwaslu will later group reports according to the types of violation before taking further action. Panwaslu is the frontline of the integrated law-enforcement team.
Do police also receive reports of violations?
Yes, we do but we will forward them to Panwaslu. We, however, will take direct action in cases that lead to violence.
What could you suggest to improve elections in the future?
First of all, arranging elections simultaneously according to the provinces would help make the process more efficient, including in terms of security. Thus, we could hold elections in six or seven provinces every year.
Second, we need to improve the regulations. Take the case of vote buying as an example. The existing regulations do not strictly regulate vote buying. None of existing regulations stipulates criminal provisions for vote buying. How should we deal with that?
