BANYUWANGI – The General Election and the 2024 Election are just around the corner.
Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Abdullah Azwar Anas urged the state civil apparatus (ASN) to maintain neutrality during this five-year event.
“Neutrality has the principles of impartiality and freedom from influence. If ASN is not neutral, public services will be hampered because ASN performance becomes unprofessional,” said Anas in Banyuwangi, Monday (18/12).
Anas emphasized that non-neutrality of ASN will be very detrimental to the state, government, and society.
Unprofessional ASN during this democratic party will cause government targets at the local and national levels to not be achieved properly.
Law No. 20/2023 concerning ASN stated that ASN employees must maintain neutrality.
Neutrality means not taking sides from any form of influence and not favoring other interests outside the interests of the nation and state, including political interests.
“ASN still has the right to vote, but it can only be given at the voting booth, not in the media or other channels,” said Anas.
He said that ASN needs to pay close attention to the potential disruption of neutrality that can occur in each stage of the General Election and Regional Head Election.
In the event of a democratic party, there are several areas that are often violated, ranging from participating in campaign agendas, facilitating campaign activities, to using social media in favor of election participants.
“ASN should be careful in using social media, especially in the current election campaign atmosphere. We urge ASN not to conduct campaigns or socialization on social media in the form of posts, comments, sharing links, or giving the like icon,” he added.
To ensure the neutrality of ASN, the government has previously issued a Joint Decree (SKB) on Guidelines for Guiding and Supervising the Neutrality of ASN Employees in the Implementation of General Elections and Elections.
Signed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, BKN, KASN, and Bawaslu, this SKB aims to encourage legal certainty in handling violations of ASN neutrality principles for the implementation of quality elections.
ASNs who violate neutrality will be subject to sanctions in accordance with the form of violations committed.
“The sanctions given range from moral sanctions, moderate disciplinary punishment, severe disciplinary punishment, to dishonorable dismissal,” Anas concluded.
