The West Papua Regional Police have prepared personnel to secure the implementation of the 2024 General Elections, whose phases begin this year.
“We have law enforcement forces who are members of the Integrated Law Enforcement to prepare work procedure and concept in handling violations (during elections),” Chief of West Papua Police, Inspector General Daniel Tahi Monang Silitonga, informed in Manokwari on Tuesday.
He said that the police will focus on securing the phases from the campaign period until the voting stage because he believed that electoral violations will likely occur during those phases.
For now, the West Papua Police are still focusing on misdemeanors or minor offenses.
Silitonga highlighted that the police have criticized the appointments of some General Elections Commission (KPU) members that did not follow the existing rules.
The police chief further said that personnel have been prepared to secure the elections in the provinces of West Papua and Southwest Papua, the new province that was established in November 2022.
“Security will be carried out at every stage, from registration, and verification, to the voting, we will be actively involved,” he added.
He, however, did not disclose the number of personnel prepared for the 2024 General Elections.
Meanwhile, the Acting Governor of West Papua, Paulus Waterpauw, said that his administration is ready to help election organizers with a grant of funds.
He said the budget will be provided to election organizers, both the regional General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) and the regional General Elections Commission (KPUD) as well as security forces.
Earlier, the KPU and the National Police (Polri) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ensuring safe and exceptional general elections in 2024.
Some problems that will need to be anticipated during the elections will include logistics delivery, identity politics, and other things that can set the country’s democracy back, according to Polri Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo.
Source: Antara News