Academic: Blacklist money politics perpetrators from election selection committees
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Director of the University of Indonesia’s Centre for Political Studies (Puskapol UI) and senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science at UI, Dr Hurriyah, S.Sos, is pushing for the establishment of a blacklist mechanism so that former members of the election selection committee (Pansel) who have been legally proven to be involved in money politics practices are not selected again as Pansel members.
“Money politics must not be tolerated; zero tolerance, and there must be a blacklist mechanism. Do not let a Pansel who, for example, previously had a record of money politics be selected again,” said Hurriyah at the General Elections Commission (KPU) office in Jakarta on Wednesday.
She conveyed this during a public discussion titled “Reforming the Recruitment of Election Organisers” held at the KPU office in Jakarta.
She assessed that such a mechanism is necessary to ensure that the Pansel, which will select election organisers at the national and regional levels, consists of individuals with integrity.
“Because so far, it has not been well documented. For example, when a Pansel knows that a fellow Pansel is engaging in money politics, they might directly contact the commissioners at the central level,” she stated.
Hurriyah emphasised that it is not just about the blacklist, but also about compiling a database of figures who have a deep understanding of Indonesia’s electoral system and possess integrity.
She also urged that Pansel recruitment be conducted through a talent scouting mechanism, with the aim of finding the best individuals to sit on the Pansel.
“A talent scouting mechanism for Pansel recruitment is also needed. So, there should be a clear database of track records—who they are, what their backgrounds are. It is not enough to just have a Pansel background of minimum age 30, then a bachelor’s degree and so on. Knowledge of elections, in my opinion, is very important and primary,” she explained.