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Can civil servants be neutral in politics?
The elections have come to an end. As a nation, we should be proud of this democracy carousal because the turnout reached a record high 81 percent.
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Female civil servant. (Shutterstock/Paravyan Eduard)
T
he elections have come to an end, with major quick counts indicating that Joko “Jokowi” Widodo won the race by a comfortable margin. As a nation, we should be proud of this democracy carousal because the turnout reached a record high 81 percent.
Despite the success, there are several crucial issues that may arise in future elections. One of them concerns the participation of civil servants and state employees with employment agreement, both grouped as state civil apparatus (ASN).
The law says civil servants have the right to vote but cannot demonstrate their political preference or alignment with any candidate. In the field, this kind of provision turns out to be less effective and leads to obscurity.
The 2014 Civil Servants Law and the 2017 Elections Law justify civil servants’ participation in elections.
Articles 2 and 9 of the ASN Law stipulate that ASNs shall remain neutral, free from any influence and intervention by any political parties and factions.
To be strict, both the laws prohibit ASNs from participating in electoral campaigns and joining a political party.
Those restrictions are to ensure the integrity, solidity and unity of the corps.
