Inp.polri.go.id – Makassar. South Sulawesi’s Regional Police Chief, Pol. Inspector General Merdisyam acted as the Keynote Speaker in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) entitled “Political Literacy in the 2021 Village Head Election Contestation” held by the Directorate of Intelligence and Security at South Sulawesi Regional Police, Harper Hotel, Perintis Street, Makassar, Monday (05/24 / 2021).
The FGD activity was attended by, Chairman of the South Sulawesi’s General Election Commission Faisal Amir, Chairman of South Sulawesi’s General Election Supervisory Agency Laode Arumahi, two academics Andi Ali Armunanto and Luhur A Priyanto as well as the Chairman of South Sulawesi’s Indonesian Village Goverment Association Sri Rahayu Asmi, then Director of Intelligence and Security for South Sulawesi’s Regional Police, Pol. Grand Commissioner Dwi Suryo Cahyono as the host and main officials of South Sulawesi Regional Police.
In addition, this FGD was attended by the Head of South Sulawesi Regional Police who carried out the Village Head Election security via Zoom vicon.
On that occasion, Pol. Inspector General Merdisyam said that the Village Head Election (Pilkades) was a very popular democratic ceremony and had a complex problems.
“The level of vulnerability and security of the Village Head Election is really complex. The vulnerability is quite high, money politics is prone to occur. Nepotism has become a culture and collusion is hard to avoid, ” said the Regional Police Chief.
“On this occasion I conveyed suggestions, so that in the future there can be regulations, rules or legal umbrella that could regulate Village Head Election. So, there are organizers, supervisors and of course if there is a dispute it can be resolved properly,” said the Regional Police Chief.
Even so, the Regional Police Chief and his staffs are trying to secure the Village Head Election which will be followed by 852 villages and succeed until they are held and the village head is elected according to wishes of villagers.
“The ranks of National Police who are in charge of Village Head Election should conduct vulnerability mapping. To the village head candidates, please compete but maintain the conduciveness of Chief of Security and Public Order in their respective areas,” said the Two-star General.
Meanwhile, Chairman of South Sulawesi’s General Election Commission, Faisal Amir, said that in fact, his party had no responsibility in the Village Head Election, he said that there was no mandatory regulation.
“This is just a morality duty, we want to make our democracy better starting from the bottom, namely in the village. But if in the future, regulators obliged the General Election Commission to implement it, we as law enforcers will certainly be ready,” he said.
Regarding money politics in the village, said Unismuh academic Luhur A Priyanto, it is difficult to avoid, he even said, DPRD members and regional heads, in this case the regent, will be the main sponsors for the village head candidates.
“We have never been serious in resolving money politics. Various regulations and institutions are present, but they didn’t resolve, it is even getting more massive, this needs a conscious social movement,” said Luhur.
Meanwhile, when met by South Sulawesi Regional Police’s Head of PR, Pol. Grand Commissioner E. Zulpan, explained that the simultaneous Village Head Election in 2021, of course this will be a challenge because the current Village Head Election we are implementing Election security, we must also anticipate the spread of COVID-19.
“We have to work hard on how to carry out the Village Head Election simultaneously run safely and smoothly and health protocols are applied in each series of Village Head Election to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” explained the Head of PR.