Press should oversee vote-counting process in elections: Minister

Acknowledging the complexity of this year's general elections, Karnavian urged Indonesian journalists to create objective news in the event of problems arising during the stages of the elections.

Indonesian journalists wield the right and responsibility to oversee the vote-counting process of the 2024 General Elections to ensure its transparency, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian stated in Jakarta on Monday.

Karnavian underlined that the press can help the nation anticipate any electoral frauds by observing vote-counting processes at every level, starting from polling stations.

"We all know that the vote-counting processes run in tiers. The media, with their broad networks, can oversee the processes, starting from polling stations," he remarked during the Mass Media National Convention commemorating National Press Day.

The minister noted that the press stands as the fourth pillar of democracy while adding that journalists can ensure the legitimacy of vote-counting results among people by closely observing the counting stages.

He then assessed that Indonesia's election system is among the largest in the world, considering that it involves complex processes that enable over 200 million people to cast their votes in a single day.

"The general elections held on February 14 is one of the most complicated elections in the world. Why? Because we had to swiftly distribute required logistics to mountains, beaches, islands, and forests," he explained.

Moreover, he highlighted that the event did not only include the election for presidential and vice presidential candidates but also provided voters with the opportunity to choose their preferred candidates for national and regional legislators as well as senators in a single day.

Acknowledging the complexity of this year's general elections, Karnavian urged Indonesian journalists to create objective news in the event of problems arising during the stages of the elections.

"I would like you to write news that is factual, not just opinion," said Mendagri to the journalists at the convention.

Related news: ANTARA's photojournalism expo displays history of Indonesia press
Related news: Press responsible for maintaining peaceful election: ministry