The Student Executive Board of the Gadjah Mada University (BEM-KM UGM), through its Strategic Issue Analysis Department, has released a study probing the impact of the 2024 general elections. The study, entitled “Melarat pasca pesta rakyat” or Turning destitute after end of the People’s Party, was held to find out the impact of the 2024 elections on Indonesian people’s lives.
Results of the study concludes that the election has a wide impact on the society, namely in terms of the increase in prices of basic necessities and the agrarian conflicts in the future Nusantara Capital City (IKN) that are still ongoing.
Head of the Strategic Issues Analysis Department of BEM-KM UGM, Muhammad Thaariq Haryanto, said that in the process of furthering the interests of the rulers, the regime has distributed social assistance on a scale never seen before. The social assistance is alleged to have been used to garner votes in the 2024 elections, which has subsequently resulted in an increase in the prices of basic necessities.
“During the pre-election period, from mid-2023 until February 2024, there was a significant increase in social assistance distribution. Our analysis has put it that pork barrel politics in the 2024 election was evident through untimely distribution of social assistance, which has resulted in unnatural increase in the prices of commodities that were part of the social assistance program,” Thaariq told a media conference publishing results of the study on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
“During the election period, unreasonable increases occurred in the price of premium rice from Rp15,110 to Rp15,900 per liter and the price of medium rice from Rp13,310 to Rp13,920 per liter. In addition, the government’s claim that El-Nino was the cause of this event is an unsubstantiated and scientifically unproven,” he said.
In addition, Thaariq said, there has been an escalation of agrarian conflicts that occurred after the election, one of which in IKN. He cited that the victory of the regime-supported election participants has made the regime more confident to continue to accelerate the IKN development. He was referring to a Circular of the IKN Authority No. 179/DPP/OIKN/III/2024 which requires people within 7 days to dismantle their property or residence around IKN.
“We view this action as unethical and immoral. In addition, the events that occurred in IKN recently, according to our analysis, are a sign that the regime and the capital owners still want to maintain their hegemony over the public wealth,” Thaariq said.
The BEM-KM UGM therefore asks the government to immediately resolve the problems that exist as a result of the elections.
“It is important for the government to continue to listen to the voices of the people and ensure that the policies made will not harm the people who should be protected. We also invite the public to continue to monitor and hold the government accountable for everything that has taken place and is taking place,” Thariq said.
“Elections do not happen only at the voting booth. Realizing the impact of the election results is more important,” he added.
