Bawaslu to use IT-based monitoring system

JAKARTA. Ahead of election day on Feb. 15, the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) will enable the public to join in the monitoring of polling stations through a mobile phone application, which Bawaslu officials will record and then upload.

Bawaslu will deploy officials specifically to document every activity and movement of stations with two to three-minute videos. Each video will be sent to Bawaslu’s IT team to be immediately uploaded to the Video Pengawasan Bawaslu application, which the public can download through their smartphones.

“Even during breaks, the officers will keep working and have been told to refuse any offers for lunch. This is all in the aim of minimizing possible cheating by certain parties or organizers,” Bawaslu commissioner Nasrullah said.

He said the footage uploaded could serve as evidence for law enforcement if later there were disputes or allegations of fraud.

The IT-based monitoring system is Bawaslu’s pilot project, which will take place at every polling station in Jakarta and Yogyakarta for the 2017 simultaneous regional elections. But Nasrullah said that several stations in East Java, West Java, and Central Sulawesi also wanted to trial the system. Not all of the 101 regions holding elections this year can implement the method due to limitations of equipment, including telecommunications coverage, geographical aspects and lack of skilled human resources. (Nurul Fitri Ramadhani)