Technical Assistance Program on the Procedural Law of the Elections Results Dispute Resolution for Bawaslu Class IV, Monday (3/1) at the Pancasila and Constitution Education Center, Bogor. Photo by Humas MK/Agung Penyok.

The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) must maintain spirit and integrity in resolving upcoming simultaneous election disputes. This was conveyed by Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Anwar Usman in his keynote speaker and opening address at the Technical Assistance Program on the Procedural Law of the Elections Results Dispute Resolution for Bawaslu Class IV on Monday (3/1) at the Pancasila and Constitution Education Center, Bogor.

Justice Anwar advised Bawaslu members to be forthcoming regarding electoral violations. He also stressed that the duties and responsibilities of Bawaslu has been mandated by Law No. 7 of 2017. The agency has huge responsibility not only as supervisor but also executor deciding on cases. The agency faces challenges to prove its role and strategic existence in guarding election for the advancement of the nation.

In Indonesia where political culture is still developing, the implementation of elections without strong structural and functional oversight such as Bawaslu, potentially leads to loss of citizens\' right to vote, rampant money politics, smear campaigns, and fraudulent acts. The impact of elections without integrity is the electoral disputes.

Justice Anwar explained, different from previous elections, the 2019 Elections will run simultaneously. The election of members of the DPR (House of Representatives), DPD (Regional Representatives Council), provincial and district/municipal DPRD (Regional Legislative Council) runs simultaneously with the election of the president and vice president. "This means that in the upcoming voting, voters will get five ballots to put inside five ballot boxes. It is different from previously, even though the activities were the same, the 2019 elections were arranged longer and is the most difficult in the world," he said.

He revealed the challenges in the upcoming elections, such as the high number of islands (over 17,000), ethnicities, and regional languages. Bawaslu also faces challenges such as invalid population data. Until today, he added, Bawaslu has found 1,247 alleged violations in 218, 331 of which from the community and 916 found by Bawaslu.

In the future, Bawaslu must encourage optimal community participation. Bawaslu must be able to work synergistically with all elements of the nation to oversee and enforce electoral law explicitly and fairly. Therefore, Bawaslu must be able to be an actor that synergizes all potentials in realizing democratic and dignified elections. (Bayu/Agung/Yuniar Widiastuti)