Berjumpa Kahumas Politeknik Lhokseumawe, Bung Hatta, di Soekarno Hatta, Jakarta.

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The invitation is already there, but it is still marked red, which means it is not certain that the activity will take place. The red sign is a kind of code, a kind of message for Bawaslu members throughout Indonesia. I thought to myself when I first became a member of the Kota Lhokseumawe Bawaslu, the red mark in the barcode of the signature of the chairman of the Republic of Indonesia Bawaslu implied two messages; preparation for an activity, especially looking for plane tickets and so on. However, there is also an important message that should not be ignored, this activity will not necessarily be implemented.

The two things above relate to preparations for transportation. Another important preparation is regarding the activity itself. What data and documents must be prepared, what stages have been carried out, and so on. This means that we, the district and city Bawaslu, as well as the province, have to consider many aspects before leaving. And consideration and preparation for several of these aspects must be done quickly, with careful consideration.

And it's not easy because the conditions in each region are different. For example, there are districts and cities located on an island where transportation facilities are not available at all times. Or even if there is, sometimes you have to consider the weather which has become increasingly difficult to predict lately. There are certain moments that make traveling a serious problem that results in failure to leave.

The struggle to get tickets can sometimes be dramatic. During holidays, New Year or the holiday season which is included in the high season, plane tickets are difficult to obtain even though every airline has added flight schedules. At the moment of Eid al-Fitr 1445 H like now, that is the problem we are experiencing.

There were Bawaslu members in Aceh who had already ordered tickets when a circular appeared regarding preparations for the General Election Results Dispute (PHPU). They take risks, for example the event will not be held and the tickets will have to be paid for themselves or they will have to find another basis so that the institution can still pay for them.

I'm one of those people who waits for the invitation to turn black even at the risk of not getting a ticket. When attending an event at the Grand Nanggroe Hotel Banda Aceh a few days after Eid al-Fitr, we received confirmation regarding the Public Relations event at the Grand Mercure Ancol, Jakarta.

Usually, the office orders the tickets. But this time, the office and our travel customers raised their hands. They failed to get tickets. I've actually had an online travel account since 2006 (a long time ago, right?) at klikmbc.com. Here I can book plane tickets, etc., pay bills, and so on. However, I also failed to get a ticket.

In the middle of attending an event in Banda Aceh, I tried to contact the Chairman of the 1991 Alumni of STM Negeri Bireuen, Zulfikar M Idris, an official at PT Perta Arun Gas. I think big companies must have networks with airlines. I managed to get a Citylink ticket from Kuala Namu, Medan. But because he was late in sending the money, someone else finally took the ticket.

Finally, a member of the kabupaten Aceh Utara Bawaslu, Hazimi, helped connect with Dedy Fahrizal, Lion Air staff at Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport, Banda Aceh. I can get one Batik Air ticket at the business equivalent price for economy class. It doesn't matter, the important thing is that I got the ticket.

It turns out that the Chairperson of Langsa City Bawaslu, Taufiq, and Bang Muhammad Manan, who is now a member of the Aceh Province Regional Election Panwaslih, also received Batik Air tickets. I left with Taufiq and we kept the car at the house of Faukas, our friend in Lhokseumawe who has now moved to work in Banda Aceh.[]

Lorong Asa, 25 April 2024

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Perjuangan Mendapatkan Tiket di Momen High Session

Undangan itu sudah ada, tetapi masih bertanda merah yang bermakna belum pasti kegiatannya akan terlaksana. Tanda merah semacam kode, semacam pesan bagi anggota Bawaslu di seluruh Indonesia. Aku berpikir sendiri ketika baru menjadi anggota Bawaslu Kota Lhokseumawe, tanda merah dalam barcode tanda tangan ketua Bawaslu Republik Indonesia itu menyiratkan dua pesan; persiapan untuk sebuah kegiatan, terutama untuk mencari tiket pesawat dan sebagainya. Namun, ada juga pesan penting yang tak boleh diabaikan, kegiatan itu belum tentu akan dilaksanakan.

Dua hal di atas berkaitan dengan persiapan untuk transportasi. Persiapan lain yang juga penting adalah mengenai kegiatan itu sendiri. Data dan dokumen apa saja yang harus dipersiapkan, tahapan apa yang sudah dilakukan, dan sebagainya. Artinya, kami Bawaslu kabupaten dan kota, serta provinsi, harus mempertimbangkan banyak aspek sebelum berangkat. Dan pertimbangan serta persiapan beberapa aspek tersebut, harus dilakukan dengan cepat, dengan pertimbangan matang.

Dan itu tidak mudah karena kondisi setiap daerah berbeda. Misalnya, ada kabupaten dan kota yang terletak di sebuah pulau yang sarana transportasinya tidak setiap saat ada. Atau kalaupun ada, terkadang harus mempertimbangkan cuaca yang belakangan semakin sulit diprediksi. Ada momen-momen tertentu yang membuat melakukan perjalanan menjadi persoalan serius yang berakibat gagal untuk berangkat.

Perjuangan mendapatkan tiket terkadang sangat dramatis. Momen hari raya, tahun baru, atau musim liburan yang termasuk dalam high session, tiket pesawat sulit diperoleh meski setiap maskapai sudah menambah jadwal penerbangan. Momen Idulfitri 1445 H seperti sekarang, kendala itulah yang kami alami.

Ada anggota Bawaslu di Aceh, sudah memesan tiket ketika muncul surat edaran tentang persiapan mengadapi Perselisihan Hasil Pemilihan Umum (PHPU). Mereka mengambil risiko, misalnya acara tidak jadi digelar dan tiket harus membayar sendiri atau mencari dasar lain sehingga tetap bisa dibayarkan lembaga.

Aku termasuk orang yang menunggu undangan berubah hitam meski dengan risiko tidak mendapatkan tiket. Ketika mengikuti acara di Hotel Grand Nanggroe Banda Aceh beberapa haru setelah Idulfitri, kami mendapatkan kepastian mengenai acara Kehumasan di Grand Mercure Ancol.

Biasanya, pihak kantor yang memesan tiket. Tapi kali ini, pihak kantor dan travel langganan kami angkat tangan. Mereka gagal mendapatkan tiket. Aku sebenarnya memiliki akun travel online sejak 2006 (lama sekali, kan?) di klikmbc.com. Di sini aku bisa memesan tiket pesawat dll, membayar tagihan, dan sebagainya. Namun, aku juga gagal mendapatkan tiket.

Di tengah mengikuti acara di Banda Aceh, aku mencoba menghubungi Ketua Alumni 1991 STM Negeri Bireuen, Zulfikar M Idris, pejabat di PT Perta Arun Gas. Kupikir, perusahaan besar pasti punya jaringan dengan pihak maskapai. Aku berhasil mendapatkan tiket Citylink dari Kuala Namu, Medan. Tapi karena telat mengirim uang, akhirnya tiket itu diambil orang lain.

Akhirnya, anggota Bawaslu Kabupaten Aceh Utara, Hazimi, yang membantu menghubungkan dengan Dedy Fahrizal, staf Lion Air di Bandara Sultan Iskandar Muda, Banda Aceh. Aku bisa mendapatkan satu tiket Batik Air dengan harga setara bisnis untuk kelas ekonomi. Tidak apa, yang penting aku mendapatkan tiketnya.

Ternyata, Ketua Bawaslu Kota Langsa, Taufiq, dan Bang Muhammad Manan yang kini menjadi anggota Panwaslih Pilkada Provinsi Aceh, juga mendapatkan tiket Batik Air. Aku berangkat dengan Taufiq dan mobil kami simpan di rumah Faukas, sahabat kami di Lhokseumawe yang kini sudah pindah kerja ke Banda Aceh.[]

Lorong Asa, 25 April 2024

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Proses regitrasi di Hotel Grand Mercure di Ancol, Jakarta. Jangan salah fokus, ya?