The New Normality Of Democracy

No one can be sure when the Covid-19 pandemic will end. On the other hand, the process of socio-political life must continue, including the implementation of the Simultaneous Regional Elections on December 9, 2020. The implementation of the Regional Elections in the midst of this pandemic has reaped pros and cons. The New Normal must be followed by several adjustments, including adjustments in the political field. What are the prospects for the Regional Elections and democratic life in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic?

To answer these questions, the Populi Forum held a discussion with the theme "New Normality in Democracy". This discussion was held online on Thursday (25/06/2020) at 13.00 - 15.00 WIB by presenting four speakers, namely Saan Mustofa (Deputy Chair of Commission II, DPR RI), Lucky Sandra Amalia (Researcher, P2P LIPI), Rafif Pamenang Imawan (Researcher, Populi Center) and Dimas Ramadhan (Researcher, Populi Center). This discussion was moderated by Jefri Adriansyah (Researcher, Populi Center) via the Cisco Webex Meetings application.

At the beginning of the discussion, Saan Mustofa explained that the implementation of the Pilkada during the pandemic was a mutual agreement between the DPR and the Government. This agreement has gone through a long process and careful consideration by involving related parties, such as the Ministry of Health and the Covid-19 Task Force. The implementation of the Pilkada in the midst of a pandemic is not only a matter of budget, but also a matter of safety aspects. Furthermore, Saan Mustofa said, "When the implementation of the continuation of the Pilkada was decided on December 9, the DPR asked for two serious notes from the organizers, namely regarding safety and equality in the implementation of Pilkada democracy," he said.

Saan Mustofa also highlighted the quality of democracy in the upcoming Pilkada. "Don't let this Pilkada reduce our democracy by ignoring a quality and healthy democratic process". Saan asked that there must be an equal democratic space between challengers and incumbents in the Pilkada contest. Given that policy instruments such as the Covid 19 Social Assistance fund can be politicized by the incumbent.

Lucky Sandra Amalia explained that in general the condition of democracy in Indonesia before and after the pandemic was not much different. Lucky Sandra said that freedom of speech, which is an important indicator of democracy, has not been running well, and even seems to be restricted by the government. Furthermore, Sandra conveyed the issue of alleged defamation which is still a rubber article in freedom of speech. Lucky Sandra assessed that the potential for money politics and identity politics is still high. Lucky Sandra hopes that the PKPU will regulate money politics in more detail so that this practice can be minimized.

Sandra continued that although the survey findings showed a declining public assessment of the government regarding the handling of Covid-19, on the other hand the level of public trust in President Jokowi is still high. This shows that the public still has high hopes for the President to make changes.

Rafif Pamenang Imawan said that he agreed with the government's quick steps in dealing with the hoax issue, especially hoaxes related to Covid-19. However, the state must re-create social order amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, Rafif said that "For the executive, this condition is a challenge to encourage public participation while formulating a formula so that public control over the government process continues to run effectively, as well as for the legislature." He said firmly.

Rafif said that some discussions of legislative products seemed quiet during the Covid-19 pandemic. The openness of the legislative process should be encouraged, such as through websites such as e-legislative. Rafif himself agreed to the implementation of the Simultaneous Regional Elections on December 9, 2020 with a number of notes, such as thorough preparation related to technical details of safety for organizers and the community.

At the end of the discussion, Dimas Ramadhan said that the current pandemic could be a momentum to fix a number of problems, such as expensive politics in the previous Pilkada. The new normal in democracy must change the way of thinking to overcome these problems. In addition, Dimas Ramadhan also highlighted the misuse of government assistance on election day. According to him, this problem seems to be anticipated with strict supervision from the organizers, especially Bawaslu. "That way, government assistance can be regulated in the PKPU that is being made," he said.