Alfian, Jakarta – Researchers and experts have opposed to the government's plan to prohibit political surveys and "quick counts" in elections, saying the move denies the public's right to information and transparency.
"It has the potential to violate the public's freedom of information, which is guaranteed by the Constitution," Sri Budi Eko Wardani, executive director of the Center for Political Studies at the University of Indonesia, said Thursday, reading a joint statement. "Research results are forms of public freedom of speech that need to be protected."
The statement was also signed by executive director of the Indonesian Survey Institute Saiful Mudjani, director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information Suhardi Suryadi, and Bambang S.T. from Kompas daily's research and development division.
Mudjani said the statement was responding to the idea being discussed by the House's special committee deliberating the draft revision of the law on general elections, of regulating the schedule for the publication of results of both political surveys and online quick counts.
He said some committee members wanted to prohibit the announcement of survey results during election cooling-off periods, while others raised the idea of not allowing the publication of quick count results until the General Elections Commission (KPU) releases official results. "That's no longer a quick count, but a slow count then," said Mudjani.
He added that the committee's concern that the publication of survey results during the cooling-off period could influence voters and trigger conflict was baseless.
"Pre-election surveys have no effect on voter behavior because they only perceive it as information and they have the freedom to decide who they will vote for," Mudjani said.
With regard to the quick count, he said it could help avoid political uncertainty because it allowed people to know who their new leaders were sooner. "The quick count system has no negative impact, except on some defeated politicians who are unhappy with the results," he said.
Chairman of the House's special committee deliberating the draft revision of the general elections law, Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, said the House had no intention of limiting the activities of survey institutions.
He said the survey results must not be allowed to be announced during the cooling-off period as they have the potential to influence voters.
"Even election participants are not allowed to hold any political activities during that period," he said, adding that if such announcements were allowed, the candidates could possibly use the period to campaign.
With regards to quick counts, Ferry said their announcement did not need to wait for the KPU's calculations. "But their results must be published through the KPU."
Ferry said the announcement of quick count results has so far only stated the results, but without any explanation of how the figures are arrived at.
"We only knew the figures, we did not know the locations where the survey had been taken and how they did it," said Ferry. "If the candidates and parties are urged to be honest, the survey institutions have to be honest, too," said Ferry.