Sasana Inklusi dan Gerakan Advokasi Difabel (SIGAB) Indonesia, Pusat Rehabilitasi Yakkum, and Formasi Disabilitas implement inclusive program with the support from INKLUSI Program (an Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Inclusive Indonesia), and release a 2024 Election Monitoring result (Friday, 22 March 2024). The report shows infringements experienced by people with disability during the 2024 election.
In his opening remark, SIGAB Indonesia director, M. Joni Yulianto recounts a story about an incident 25 years earlier when he was a student, where he was invited to attend an accessible information dissemination forum by then the head of PPUA. After two decades, the story remains the same – where Formasi Disabilitas notes of bad record regarding political rights for people with disability, and the lack of disability data. Joni acknowledges that what SIGAB, YAKKUM and Formasi Disabilitas have done is to further conduct a survey for election monitoring in order to see how people with disability prepare themselves. The survey continues with monitoring of how the situation prevails and obtains a result that 90% of people with disability are eager to exercise their political rights, yet at the same time, the same story plays out as in the 1999 election.
There are issues with accessibility and within the election office (PPS). Students, politicians and academics have grappled with political education on a daily basis, so to speak, but the latter is not available to people with disability. Joni suggests that that reflects current political situation where money politics is an inherent part of talking about politics. Perhaps, the collective perpetrators have not realized that political education (making people aware of politics) is a right. Yet conversation is still revolving around “Even non-disability people have not gotten their right fulfilled, let alone people with disability!” Joni is sure that people who talk like that do not understand Pancasila. He hopes that the monitoring result will serve as a point for reflection so as not to repeat what happened 25 years earlier. It is crucial since regional elections will proceed in the following year. He hopes that the monitoring result will draw the interests of election officials, government and parliament, who will then ensure just election for all.
Result of Monitoring
The monitoring by Sigab, Yakkum and Formasi Disabilitas or known as Collective Action proceeds during the campaign period to the election, and recapitulation of votes, involving 218 monitoring volunteers in 20 Provinces. The volunteers are assigned to 218 election venues in 42 districts/cities, in 20 Provinces.
The result shows that 45% of election venues do not have information regarding data of people with disability. This shows a neglect in services, accessibility and accompaniment needed by the people with disability. The result is consistent with a survey on the perception of people with disability done beforehand – regarding the low number of people with disability to be enrolled in the election (35.7%), with 44.9% of people with disability registered as non-voters and the remaining 19.4% not aware of their status in the election. (Ast)
