It's Hard to Ensure All Civil Servants Neutral during Elections, Says Minister
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18 December 2023 22:18 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy stated that it is difficult to ensure that all civil servants (ASNs) will be 100 percent neutral in the 2024 elections.
"It is not possible (for all ASNs) to be 100 percent neutral. We hope that ASNs will only take sides when in the voting booth," he said on Monday.
He made this statement in response to the State Civil Apparatus Commission (KASN) which said that the potential violation of neutrality among civil servants in next year's elections is estimated to reach 10,000 cases.
KASN Head Agus Pramusinto remarked that the estimation was calculated based on a comparison in the 2020 regional elections, which at that time recorded 2,034 cases.
Effendy suspected that the potential violations could be related to ASN's preference for candidates of their choice. Civil servants can consciously or unconsciously express their political choices, he added.
"They need to be careful when expressing their preferences. Do not violate the rules," he stressed.
He urged civil servants not to express their political choices openly or in a conscious manner as it would violate the rules.
He expressed his belief that preference and neutrality are two different aspects.
"The important thing is not to take advantage of specific situations to commit violations consciously," he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Pramusinto revealed that he had received reports indicating violations of the civil servants' neutrality in several regions during the campaign period.
Although Pramusinto did mention the number of reports received, he ensured that KASN had conducted investigations and collected evidence on the indications of violations.
"There must be evidence, and if it is proven, we will give recommendations for sanctions," he stated.
ANTARA
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