"We are monitoring social media because the conduct of state civil apparatuses is not only what's visible to the eyes (in real life), but also in cyberspace," Head of the West Jakarta General Election Supervisory Agency Oding Junaedi explained here on Monday.
Junaedi informed that the social media activities of state officials must be monitored to ensure that they uphold political neutrality prior to the general election.
Moreover, monitoring is necessary to anticipate instances such as state civil apparatuses forming political groups or carrying out political initiatives, he remarked.
The activity monitoring will be carried out on a city to national scale by the agency's special cyber team, he informed.
If any civil servant is found campaigning on social media, then the agency will issue a strict warning to them.
So far, there have been no reports of such activities in cyberspace, either regarding state civil servants supporting or opposing a certain candidate, Junaedi disclosed.
He said he expects the monitoring to improve the stance of political neutrality upheld by all state civil servants of all institutions as part of the preparation for the coming election.
Candidates can promote themselves during the 75 days of the campaign period, he said. It is estimated that the said period will be in November 2023.
"For 75 days prior to election silence, that's when the candidates can do campaigning," he said.
If any political party is found violating some regulations during the campaign period, such as holding campaigns at schools, places of worship, and workplaces of state civil apparatuses, then the agency will give the violators a strict warning, he added.
"For example, during those 75 days, if a political party makes a violation. We will note it, we will make some sort of diagram on the extent of the political party's conformity with the regulation, then we will publish it," he said.
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Translator: Walda Marison, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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