Ministry of Home Affairs inaugurates DESLab for digital election education
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) has inaugurated the Digital Election Simulation Lab (DESLab) as a public education facility to strengthen societal understanding of the application of digital technology in transparent and accountable election processes.
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Akhmad Wiyagus stated that the government must play a role in enhancing public digital literacy, particularly regarding the use of technology in the electoral system.
“Kemendagri must also act as a facilitator for the implementation of education and literacy processes related to this digitalisation, one of which we will inaugurate this morning, namely DESLab,” said Wiyagus in his statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
He explained that DESLab is designed as a simulation space to directly demonstrate the stages in the digital election system, from voter verification and the exercise of voting rights to the application of the one person one vote principle.
“The main points we want to convey are that through DESLab, we will also see the system being operated directly. Voter verification must be carried out, then how voting rights are exercised, how the one man one vote principle is maintained, and how the process is simulated,” he said.
According to him, the existence of this simulation laboratory is expected to increase public trust in the utilisation of technology in the democratic process, while also serving as a space for more modern and responsible policy learning.
Wiyagus also urged the National Policy Strategy Agency (BSKDN) to manage DESLab in an orderly and transparent manner so that it can become a credible learning resource for the public.
“To that end, I ask BSKDN to manage it in an orderly and transparent manner, so that this simulation activity must become clear learning,” he stated.
He hopes that DESLab will not only showcase technological aspects but also serve as a space to test ideas and prepare for a more adaptive future of Indonesian democracy in the face of digital developments.
“Then it becomes a space for modern, leading, and responsible policy learning, a space that not only displays technology once again, but also builds understanding, tests ideas, and especially prepares the future of Indonesian democracy,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Head of the National Policy Strategy Agency (BSKDN) Yusharto Huntoyungo stated that his agency continues to expand cooperation with various parties to introduce digitalisation in election processes at various levels.
“So that the perception that has so far stated that full digitalisation cannot yet be controlled, is difficult to trust, and various negative perceptions about the utilisation of this digitalisation can be minimised,” he said.
According to him, DESLab also forms part of efforts to ensure that election digitalisation remains aligned with the principles of direct, general, free, secret, honest, and fair (luber jurdil).
“This is part of our efforts to prove that digitalisation in elections can still support the luber jurdil principles,” said Yusharto.