Controversies of Political Party Information System (SIPOL)

for the 2019 Indonesian Election

Fitria Wulan Dhani

Master Program of Political Science, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia

Keywords: SIPOL, information technologies, political parties, election, Indonesia

Abstract: One of the stages in the 2019 election arrangement begins with the registration and verification process for

political parties aspiring to participate in it. One of the media employed by the National Election

Commission (KPU) as the election organiser is called the Political Party Informational System (SIPOL) and

it is a system to help the KPU during the registration and verification process. In the current digital era

where everything is conducted via the internet, SIPOL is expected to assist the KPU service towards

political parties, as well as to improve the results’ accuracy during the administration and verification

process. On the contrary, SIPOL draws some controversies instead. Some political parties, which failed

during the administration process, have prosecuted SIPOL through the Election Supervisory Board

(BAWASLU). What went wrong with SIPOL and why did it keep being supported? This article aims to

deepen the analysis about how the controversy happened in SIPOL implementation and what factors caused

the controversy. It employed a qualitative method with descriptive analysis. The data were collected through

literature reviews and an online data search. The findings indicated that SIPOL, as a web-based

informational technology, can provide a space for transparency and administrative discipline; however, it is

not aligned with political parties’ preparedness to face the advancement of informational technology.

1 INTRODUCTION

Information technology, which grows rapidly along

with human civilisation in the digital era today,

causes some huge influences in daily life. It is not

only needed in society, the economy, and culture,

but also in the political process of a country. It has

become a necessity for certain state institutions to

implement it to ensure that the political process is

going smoothly. Information itself is necessary,

because it will be studied to obtain some data which

will be further disseminated as knowledge for the

society. Moreover, information can be used by state

institutions to make political decisions or formulate

public policy.

One of political processes which needs

information technology is an election. In Indonesia,

elections are organised by a government-affiliated

institution called the Election Commission (Komisi

Pemilihan Umum – KPU, hereafter). At every stage

of an election, each piece of information should be

delivered swiftly, accordingly, and thoroughly to

every election stakeholder. The scheduled election

should be held on time, because an election itself is

an urgent matter and needs to be conducted within a

certain period of time to avoid a vacuum of power,

which further disrupts political processes and

contributes to state instability. Therefore, in

fulfilling their duties as the election committee, the

KPU makes use of various types of information

technology through some digital media to ensure a

smooth-running election.

One of the election stages employing information

technology is the registration and verification

process for political parties as the candidates for

election use the Political Party Information System

(SIPOL, hereafter). In the KPU Regulation No.11,

Year 2017, Article 1, Point 30 on Registration,

Verification, and Confirmation of Political Parties as

the Participants in Legislative Election, it is stated

that SIPOL is a set of system and information

technology to support the performance of political

parties and election organisers in conducting the

registration, administration process, and factual

verification in terms of whether the political parties

have fulfilled the necessary requirements as election

participants. SIPOL is a web-based information

Dhani, F.

Controversies of Political Party Information System (SIPOL) for the 2019 Indonesian Election.

DOI: 10.5220/0008816100220026

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Contemporary Social and Political Affairs (ICoCSPA 2018), pages 22-26

ISBN: 978-989-758-393-3

technology using internet network to collect data

from political parties applying as election

participants. SIPOL is employed to help the KPU

during the registration and verification of political

parties’ data to determine whether they are eligible

to be election participants or not. It is expected that

it should simplify and accelerate the data verification

process. Prior to the submission of official

documents to the KPU, the political parties are

required to upload their data and official documents

to SIPOL, then submit the hard copies to the KPU.

Next, the KPU has to compare the hard copies and

SIPOL data. SIPOL is expected to provide accurate

verification results of parties’ documents. According

to the KPU, SIPOL can also help achieve an orderly

administration process and fulfil the transparency

principle, because both the KPU and political parties

can monitor the data input process and documents’

completeness.

However, when the KPU announced the political

parties which had passed the document completion

process and gone through the verification process,

some lawsuits were issued by some political parties

which did not pass the stage. The lawsuits were sent

to the Election Supervisory Board (BAWASLU),

along with a report of alleged administrative

violation by the KPU as the defendant, because the

KPU employed SIPOL during the party registration

process. The plaintiffs were 9 (nine) political parties

which did not pass administration verification stage,

because they did not upload the complete documents

to SIPOL. They reasoned that SIPOL violates

Election Regulation, is not well-socialised, and that

it was highly problematic during its implementation.

They further stated that the KPU did not conduct

actual administration verification in determining

which parties should pass the stage, but merely

based their judgments on the data uploaded on

SIPOL. Finally, BAWASLU issued a verdict that the

KPU was guilty and committed administrative

violation during the registration and verification

process for political parties. BAWASLU then

ordered the KPU to improve registration procedures

for the political parties by reaccepting official

document submissions.

2 RESEARCH PROBLEMS

Based on the research background above, this

research proposes two questions. Firstly, how is

SIPOL implemented in the registration process for

political parties as election participants? Secondly,

what factors caused the controversies surrounding

SIPOL in its implementation?

3 RESEARCH METHOD

This paper employed a qualitative method with a

descriptive analysis technique. The data were

collected through a literature study and online. The

literature study was conducted by searching for

documents related to this research in books, as well

as scientific journals or reports which contained

political parties’ registration processes. This

research focused on SIPOL implementation process

and factors which led to SIPOL causing

controversies in its implementation.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 SIPOL Implementation for the

Registration and Verification of

Election Candidates

The Encyclopedia ACE Electoral Network stated

that the Electoral Management Body (EMB) can

organise and self-manage electoral processes,

including the registration of political parties and

election candidates; however, it must be based on

applicable law and regulation. Therefore, the KPU

as the election organiser in Indonesia stipulate

various KPU Regulations (PKPU, hereafter) as a

complete description of the procedure and process

for organising elections in Indonesia.

PKPU No. 11, Year 2017, Article 13 explained

that prior to registering as election candidates,

political parties are required to upload their party

data into SIPOL. The data include details on the

party structures from the central to the district level,

party membership, and other supporting data. The

uploading process should be done before the parties

KPU. After uploading all the documents into SIPOL,

the parties can print out a registration requirement

form to be submitted to the KPU upon registration.

Hence, if there is a political party which does not

enter complete data into SIPOL and does not submit

a printed registration form from SIPOL, it cannot

Before implementing this rule, the KPU

conducted some socialisation about the mechanism

for data submission to SIPOL to the political parties.

Political parties have liaison officers involved in

socialisation and can operate SIPOL at the party

level. It implies that before the party’s operator

enters any data into SIPOL, she/he obtains

knowledge on how to use SIPOL, starting from login

Controversies of Political Party Information System (SIPOL) for the 2019 Indonesian Election

access (username and password), to the upload

mechanism, necessary documents and the equipment

needed (such as computers and internet devices).

SIPOL is an information system utilising the

internet network to store data and send them to a

server. The data can then be viewed by SIPOL

operators both in the KPU and at party level. SIPOL

users are divided into two, namely the KPU and the

political party. Data input by a party’s operator is

similar to those received by SIPOL operators in the

KPU. Each operator can also monitor the data

progress and the extent to which data has been or

has not been sent. A KPU operator can even match

the data entered by a party operator, though they

cannot change any data. Therefore, SIPOL is

employed as a cross-check mechanism by the KPU

and this system can simultaneously integrate party

data at every level.

4.2 SIPOL Objectives and Obstacles

In general, an information system aims to facilitate

users in processing data, and this is the aim of

SIPOL. SIPOL specifically serves the following

purposes:

§ To serve political parties in conducting data

input on their parties’ information, namely

their committees, office address, membership,

and other required documents as election

participants;

§ To provide information about the possibility

of identical membership of party members;

§ To provide information about the possibility

of dual membership between party members;

§ To provide information about identical

membership of a party’s external members.

In its implementation, SIPOL will display the

data of political parties’ possible dual membership

through a similarity analysis using the Membership

Card Number (KTA), Population Identity Number

(NIK), and name. It aims to facilitate KPU in

verifying party membership. In accordance with

election regulations, political parties should have at

least 1000 members, or 1/1000 of the total

population in each district or city. This is the main

reason why KPU implements SIPOL during the

party registration process. If each political party

registers 1000 members, then multiplies it by 514

districts and cities in Indonesia, it is impossible for

KPU to verify party membership manually without

any assistance from a quick and accurate

information system.

An information system designed and created by

humans definitely has some limits and constraints.

Both SIPOL users, KPU and political parties,

encounter some obstacles during the data input

process. The frequently occurring problem relates to

network interruption when the operator inputs the

data. A web-based information system heavily relies

on an unpredictably unstable internet network,

particularly when the network is busy. Hence, as

long as the internet network is stable, the system can

operate well everywhere and every time.

A number of party figures have offered their

opinions on SIPOL. A politician from PKS (Partai

Keadilan Sejahtera), Mardani Ali Sera, mentioned

that during his visit to DPW in Riau, his party

operator encountered difficulty in inputting data,

because there was a network disturbance on the

SIPOL web. Other problems occur when the SIPOL

website is inaccessible due to a disrupted network.

Moreover, the website has allegedly been hacked

several times. Those problems are listed as a part of

some parties’ litigation to BAWASLU.

4.3 Controversies in SIPOL

Implementation

Regulation No. 7, Year 2017 on a General Election

provides the KPU the authority to formulate some

detailed procedures for the registration process for

political parties, including administrative

investigation procedures and document validity.

When the regulation does not contain a detailed

procedure in the registration and verification

process, then as the election organiser, the KPU

should fill the void by issuing PKPU.

SIPOL caused some controversies among

election stakeholders during its implementation.

There are two opposing arguments. Several parties

support SIPOL, but some others are sceptical and

doubt SIPOL implementation. For instance, related

to litigation materials from nine parties to

BAWASLU, the plaintiffs claimed that SIPOL

contradicts the Regulation on Election, because the

Regulation does not mention using an information

system for the registration process for political

parties; thus, the KPU is considered to be violating

the law. Other parties which disagree argue that the

KPU is not fully ready to employ SIPOL, because

there are some problems during its operation which

cause parties’ failure to input data.

As the election supervisor, BAWASLU

expresses its own opinion on the implementation of

SIPOL. BAWASLU asks the KPU not to employ

SIPOL as a mandatory requirement in registration,

ICoCSPA 2018 - International Conference on Contemporary Social and Political Affairs

administrative investigation, and factual verification

of electoral participants. To respond to the

complaints from political parties, BAWASLU

expresses that it expects an election system which

can simplify things for both election participants and

voters

A different opinion is expressed by Partai

Perindo, a newly-established party which

appreciates the implementation of SIPOL for

elections. According to its Secretary-General,

SIPOL can assist the party in fixing its organisation

and membership. It is also considered as a goodwill

from the KPU to help political parties and facilitate

them as election participants.

Based on the opinions of supportive parties, it

can be concluded that SIPOL can basically improve

the relationship between parties and its constituents,

because SIPOL displays party membership data

clearly and accurately. SIPOL can also provide

information and validation of dual membership,

whether within the same party or with different

parties. By implementing SIPOL, it will show party

supporters clearly. The party can also track its

members easily in order to fulfil its vision, mission,

and programs promised to its constituents.

Meanwhile, disagreement over SIPOL is shown

through the litigation from several political parties.

The lawsuit occurs either because the parties

encounter some difficulties in using SIPOL, or the

party is not ready to input their data. It is also

possible that the party is not prepared to face

technology advancement and the modernisation of

the political party. However, it is also possible that

the party is ready in terms of using information

technology, but the internal party itself does not

prepare enough materials to complete the required

documents to be uploaded into SIPOL.

According to Arief Budiman, Chairman of KPU-

RI, the SIPOL system was introduced even before

Regulation of Election was enacted. This claim is

evidenced by the system renewal for SIPOL, as well

as simulation activities conducted repeatedly by the

KPU by inviting representatives from political

parties. It indicates that political parties should be

aware of SIPOL implementation plan before the

registration process begins. Therefore, the parties

should have sufficient time to prepare themselves, in

terms of preparing the documents and operating the

SIPOL system.

To implement information technology in the

election process, approval from various parties is

required, particularly from legislators and election

stakeholders. SIPOL has gone through such a

process; as stated in PKPU, SIPOL had been set up

in consultation with the House of Representative

before it was legalised and socialised to political

parties. As an information system, SIPOL should

have earned support from all parties to run without

obstacles. This system combines hardware, software,

and a communication network used by people to

create, collect, and disseminate data which is usually

organised within organisation rule. Therefore, under

its implementation, the processed data should not be

arbitrary, because the system should be able to filter

valid data in accordance with the analysis created by

its designers under certain provisions. The data

within it should be valid and objective. However, the

system should also be supported by a reliable sub-

system, namely good quality computers and a stable

internet network, to ensure smooth data processing.

If this criterion is fulfilled, the data will be ready to

use and publish.

The main advantage of SIPOL is its ability to

detect multiplicity, especially in terms of those

associated with party membership. Party

membership will be examined further during the

verification stage, which is the strictest stage of the

registration process. The multiplication detection

feature should improve the quality of party

membership, so that the political parties elected as

election participants really deserve the candidacy

and truly have enough support in accordance with

the existing law.

As quoted by the Encyclopedia ACE Electoral

Network, Election and Technology, information

technology can be employed by an Electoral

Management Body (EMB) in the registration

process for political parties as potential election

participants. Specifically, computer software can be

employed to determine whether a party is eligible to

participants. In some countries, political parties will

fulfil minimum membership requirements in order to

be officially registered as a political party and

election participant. EMB can verify that a party has

fulfilled such requirements using certain software to

analyse party membership status. This statement

indicates that using technology in an election

process is a commonplace in various countries,

because information technology can also improve

the quality of an election system.

Analysing the positive aspects of SIPOL, it can

actually serve as a tool in political parties’

modernisation in Indonesia. Political parties’

establishment in Indonesia tend not to be well-

organised, even though Indonesia is one of the

countries with the largest number of political parties

participating in the elections. Therefore, SIPOL can

Controversies of Political Party Information System (SIPOL) for the 2019 Indonesian Election

ensure that only political parties with the best

qualities can be filtered and guaranteed as election

participants. Moreover, it can also help fulfil the

government mission to simplify political parties.

Utilising SIPOL in the registration process makes

the parties put more effort into organising their

parties’ management. Such efforts to organise their

management also instigate better results in terms of

parties’ progress.

Finally, in response to BAWASLU decision on

the 9-parties-lawsuit, the KPU issued a ruling that

those parties should continue uploading data and

documents into SIPOL, as required in the Election

Regulation. Those nine parties were given another

chance to re-input their data into SIPOL. It indicates

that SIPOL is necessary and BAWASLU ruling does

not mention anything about the cancellation of

SIPOL usage. Therefore, KPU decision remains fair

for the political parties which have passed the stage.

5 CONCLUSION

The Political Party Information System (SIPOL)

actually has some constructive benefits, not only for

KPU as the election committee, but also for political

parties as the participants. SIPOL benefits include

encouraging the political parties to be

administratively organised and to fulfil the

transparency principle during the document

submission process. Even though its implementation

demonstrates some pros and cons for many parties,

KPU still insists on implementing SIPOL.

Information system technology is essential to

process accurate and valid data. Those data are

needed so that KPU decisions are justified based on

rightful processes and legislation.

Although SIPOL implementation does cause

various problems, the related parties should have

come up with some solutions together. Those

problems do not merely arise from political parties

as the participants, but also from KPU as the support

system for political parties. Even though political

parties are not ready to use information technology,

this has to be countered by KPU readiness to

actively provide the best service to them. Hence, the

author suggests both the KPU and political parties

should provideofficial guidelines on SIPOL which

are agreed by them. Such guidelines can be

distributed when simulation and socialisation

processes are conducted prior to the data input

process. The guidelines can act as a control for

information system users to be more responsible.

Hence, even if there are some misunderstandings or

miscommunications between application users, such

problems can be solved by both parties.

Furthermore, an information system should also

be protected under law and through regulations,

specifically during an election process where

legitimacy is always the core indicator of a

successful election.

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ACE Electoral Network “Election and Technology”

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ICoCSPA 2018 - International Conference on Contemporary Social and Political Affairs