Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – The Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) said that all provinces on the island of Papua will receive special attention due to their vulnerability to conflicts during regional elections.
"Bawaslu has warned all provinces, regencies, and cities to intensify their supervision," said Bawaslu Chair Rahmat Bagja to media crew at the Bawaslu media center in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, November 20, 2024.
Bagja mentioned that Bawaslu has also held coordination meetings with the Acting Governor of the Papua Highlands and the regional leaders' communication forum (Forkopimda) of the easternmost island of Indonesia.
The risk in Papua is diverse, Bagja said, from armed separatist movements to individuals who disrupt security.
Bagja also alluded to the traditional "noken" system, which is a special mechanism for voting for the people of Papua originating from mountainous areas.
Bagja stated that Bawaslu pays closer attention to areas that do not exercise noken, as they are considered conflict-prone areas. "Even though it follows the one man one vote system," he added.
Another issue in Papua is the unclear data of the final voter list (DPT), but Bagja said the election must proceed in Papua.
To anticipate conflicts, Bagja mentioned that Bawaslu has implemented several mitigations, such as conducting surveillance patrols during the pre-election silence and holding alert drills across all regions in Indonesia.
Bagja stated his agency has coordinated with the regional election desks in vulnerable areas. The identification of Papua as a vulnerable area resulted from mapping by Bawaslu, the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), and the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) of the Indonesian National Police.
The Governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas), Ace Hasan Syadzily, mentioned that several provinces in Papua are categorized as highly vulnerable to conflicts leading up to the election.
"Especially in Aceh and four provinces in Papua, as well as at the regency-city level. This situation can give rise to vertical and horizontal conflicts in the community," said Ace during a consultation meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
– Annisa Febiola contributed to the writing of this article.