Acting Governor Says 13 Satpol PP Are Not Neutral, Some Are Sanctioned Not Getting Three Months’ Salary

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SUMEDANG—A viral video has circulated of 13 members of the Garut Regency Satpol PP who openly expressed their support for one of the vice presidential candidates, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who will compete in the 2024 presidential election.

Responding to this, Acting Governor of West Java Bey Machmudin, every apparatus must be neutral during the 2024 Election. So the strict sanctions given to 13 Satpol PP officers are a warning to other regional officials in West Java, both those with ASN and non-ASN status, to uphold neutrality.

“First, Satpol PP is a regional apparatus, regional apparatus must be neutral,” said Bey Machmudin during his working visit at Sumedang Regional Hospital, Sumedang Regency, Wednesday (3/1/2024).

Second, he said, his party received a report that the Satpol PP member had received sanctions. “So the mechanism is in accordance with the mechanism,” he said.

One of the sanctions, said Bey, is that one of them will not receive a salary for three months. “And others don’t get a salary for one month, then if they do it again the sanctions could be more severe,” said Bey.

The West Java Provincial Government, together with various elements, have declared “Jabar Anteng” for the 2024 elections to be safe, neutral and calm.

The West Java Anteng Declaration was implemented at the Merdeka Building, Jalan Asia Afrika, Bandung City on Saturday (18/11/2023), which was attended by representatives of all district/city regional governments, elements of the TNI/Polri, Forkopimda, political parties and community leaders.

The word “Anteng” itself is an acronym for safe, neutral, calm. This declaration indicates that all parties agree that the 2024 Election, including the Presidential Election, Legislative Election, DPD Member Election and Regional Head Election must run safely, peacefully and smoothly.

Previously, a video circulating around 19 seconds long was widely circulated on various social media platforms showing 13 members of the Garut Regency Satpol PP expressing their support for vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Led by one person, those who called themselves from the Garut Regency Civil Service Police Assistance Communication Forum stated that Indonesia needed young leaders in the future by mentioning the name Gibran Rakabuming Raka.