Pemerintah memberikan santunan bagi 44 ahli waris petugas ad-hoc pemilihan umum (pemilu) yang meninggal dan mengalami kecelakaan kerja/sakit, yang dibayarkan melalui Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (BPJS) Ketenagakerjaan dengan total anggaran hingga Rp2,6 miliar.
"BPJS Ketenagakerjaan memberikan manfaat Jaminan Kematian (Jkm) kepada 35 kasus dan manfaat Jaminan Kecelakaan Kerja (JKK) kepada sembilan kasus," ujar Menko PMK Muhadjir Effendy saat simbolisasi penyerahan bantuan di Kemenko PMK, Jakarta, Selasa.
Menko Muhadjir mengatakan mereka yang mendapatkan santunan adalah petugas yang terdaftar kepesertaannya di BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. Adapun keseluruhan petugas pemilu yang terdaftar di BPJS Ketenagakerjaan sebanyak 1.061.428.
Dari jumlah tersebut yang terdaftar melalui KPU sebanyak 960.673 orang dan melalui Bawaslu sebanyak 100.755 orang. Sementara dari data Kemenkes, petugas yang meninggal sebanyak 114 orang.
Muhadjir mengatakan penyerahan santunan ini sebagai bentuk kehadiran pemerintah dalam memberikan penghargaan atas pengabdian para petugas ad-hoc pemilu.
"Serta untuk memastikan keluarga yang ditinggalkan dapat melanjutkan kehidupannya dengan lebih baik dan menghindari jatuh miskin, sehingga status kesejahteraannya tetap terjaga," ujarnya.
Sementara itu Direktur Utama BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Anggoro Eko Cahyo mengatakan pemberian santunan kepada ahli waris nominalnya berbeda-beda. BPJS Ketenagakerjaan membagi ke dalam tiga kategori yakni meninggal saat bertugas (14 Februari), meninggal sebelum bertugas, dan yang masih menjalani perawatan.
Untuk meninggal saat bertugas diberikan santunan sekitar 48 dikali gaji/upah yang diterima, sementara meninggal sebelum bertugas sebesar Rp42 juta/orang.
"Ditambah beasiswa pendidikan mulai dari pendidikan dini hingga jenjang pendidikan tinggi, bagi anak-anak yang ditinggalkan orang tuanya saat bertugas," kata Eko.
Sementara mereka yang tidak terdaftar di BPJS Ketenagakerjaan dan meninggal atau mengalami kecelakaan akan diberikan santunan oleh KPU maupun Bawaslu.
Muhadjir minta seleksi petugas Pemilu sertakan tes kesehatan
Menteri Koordinator Bidang Pembangunan Manusia dan Kebudayaan (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy meminta seleksi petugas Ad-Hoc pemilihan umum (Pemilu) menyertakan tes kesehatan, guna menekan angka kematian maupun sakit.
"Memastikan petugas Ad-Hoc harus ada seleksi kesehatan," ujar Muhadjir di Jakarta, Selasa.
Sebelumnya, berdasarkan data Kementerian Kesehatan terdapat seratusan petugas Pemilu yang meninggal dunia. Angka tersebut belum ditambah dengan mereka yang sakit.
Muhadjir mengatakan para petugas Ad-Hoc Pemilu harus memiliki rekam medis yang baik. Mereka harus dipastikan sehat, mengingat tugas-tugasnya selama Pemilu sangat berat. Bahkan, kata Muhadjir, terdapat sejumlah petugas Pemilu yang bekerja dari shubuh hingga shubuh.
Dari laporan yang diperolehnya, rata-rata petugas Pemilu yang meninggal memiliki penyakit komorbid. Dengan demikian, kesehatan petugas harus dipastikan sehat.
"Untuk mereka yang menanggung penyakit, komplikasi atau komorbid tertentu, tentu ada batas-batas tertentu. Mana yang bisa jadi petugas, mana yang tidak. Perlu jadi catatan, karena kerja petugas Ad-Hoc spartan. Endurance-nya tidak teratur, perlu kondisi yang prima," katanya.
Di samping itu, para petugas Ad-Hoc juga harus harus terdaftar di kepesertaan BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. Hal itu dilakukan untuk menjaga diri dari berbagai kemungkinan yang tidak diinginkan.
"Pemilu ke depan, seluruh petugas Ad-Hoc Pemilu masuk asuransi ketenagakerjaan. Sehingga kalau ada sesuatu, ahli waris tidak diberikan beban," kata dia.
Sebelumnya, Pemerintah memberikan santunan bagi 44 petugas Ad Hoc pemilihan umum yang meninggal dan mengalami kecelakaan kerja/sakit, yang dibayarkan melalui Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (BPJS) Ketenagakerjaan dengan total Rp2,6 miliar.
"BPJS Ketenagakerjaan membatalkan manfaat Jaminan Kematian (Jkm) kepada 35 kasus dan manfaat Jaminan Kecelakaan Kerja (JKK) kepada sembilan kasus," ujar Muhadjir.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Monday warned against the “catastrophic consequences” of any Israeli attack on Rafah, south of Gaza, during his speech at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
“In this light, we warn against the disastrous repercussions of an attack on Rafah, as the last refuge for civilians, who are there due to the displacement by the Israeli army.”
Prince Faisal denounced the double standards adopted by some countries toward the crisis in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. He also reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire.
“The Kingdom has repeatedly called on the international community to bear its responsibilities in stopping the war and irresponsible escalation to protect innocent civilians and to pave the way for a clear and credible peace process, which all parties are committed to,” he said.
“We call on the international community to bear its responsibility to put an end to escalation and war, protect civilians, in order to pave the way for a clear and legitimate peace process that includes all parties,” he added.
Making reference to the near-30,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since the war on Hamas began last October, Prince Faisal said no institutional dialogue could be taken seriously if the situation in Palestine was overlooked.
He asked: “What rights are we talking about, and Gaza is under the rubble? How can the international community stay silent, and the people of Gaza are being displaced and are suffering from the most heinous forms of human rights violations?”
He added: “Despite the death of 30,000 people and the starvation of more than 2 million people, the lack of security and basic services, such as water, electricity and medicine, the Security Council is still leaving meetings without a result.”
At least 15 civilians were killed and two others injured during attack on a Catholic church during Sunday mass in northern Burkina Faso, a senior church official said.
Catholic faithful were gathered for Sunday service at the church in Essakane village, located in the Sahel region of the West African nation, said a statement by Monsignor Laurent Dabire, bishop of the diocese of the town of Dori, 45 kilometers (27 miles) south of the attack.
"It is in faith and hope that we bring to your attention the terrorist attack of which the Catholic community was the victim. The provisional toll is 15 faithful killed, including 12 on the spot and two injured," said the statement.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting.
“In this painful circumstance, we invite you to pray for the rest in God for those who have died in faith, for the healing of the wounded and … for the conversion of those who continue to sow death and desolation in our country,” Sawadogo said in a statement.
The shooting took place in a region where armed groups have carried out several attacks, some of which have targeted Christian churches while others have involved the abduction of clergy.
About half of Burkina Faso is outside government control, as armed groups have ravaged the country for years. Fighters have killed thousands and displaced more than two million people, further threatening the stability of the nation, which experienced two coups in 2022.
The country’s military rulers have struggled to restore peace in violent areas since the first coup in January 2022. The number of people killed by armed groups has nearly tripled compared with the 18 previous months, according to an August 2023 report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
About half of Burkina Faso is outside government control as jihadi groups have ravaged the country for years. Fighters have killed thousands and displaced more than 2 million people, further threatening the stability of the country that had two coups in 2022.
The country's junta has struggled to restore peace in violence hot spots since the first coup in January 2022, the number of people killed by jihadis has nearly tripled compared with the 18 previous months, according to a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in August.
In addition to the junta's limited capacity, the security situation also has been worsened by the country's porous borders with Mali and Niger, both of which are also run by juntas and which also struggle with security crises.
Head of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak has set off for an official visit to Moscow, the Yemeni Saba news agency reported.
According to the news agency, the Yemeni prime minister plans to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, speaker of the State Duma, or lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, and speaker of the Federation Council upper house of parliament Valentina Matviyenko.
Among the topics to be discusses in Moscow are issues of bilateral relations, certain aspects on the regional agenda, as well as "Russia’s role in promoting security and peace inn Yemen," the agency said.
Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak was appointed Yemeni Prime Minister on February 5 while continuing to serve as Foreign Minister. This is his first foreign visit in the new capacity.
Russian forces repelled seven enemy counterattacks in the Avdeyevka area in the past day, moving to more advantageous positions, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"In the Avdeyevka area, units of Battlegroup Center moved to more advantageous positions, hitting troops and equipment of the Third Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces and the 107th Territorial Defense Brigade near Tonenkoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. In addition, seven enemy counterattacks were repelled near Novgorodskoye, Leninskoye, Lastochkino and Novobakhmutovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the statement reads.
According to the Defense Ministry, the enemy lost up to 100 troops, four armored combat vehicles, eight motor vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, a D-30 howitzer and a Bukovel-AD electronic warfare system.
Moreover, russian aircraft, artillery units and missile forces hit Ukrainian troops and equipment in 127 areas in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"Russian tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery units hit enemy troops and equipment in 127 areas," the statement reads.
South Donetsk area
Russian forces defeated three Ukrainian brigades in the south Donetsk area in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"In the south Donetsk area, units of Battlegroup East inflicted a fire defeat on troops of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade and the 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces and the 121st Territorial Defense Brigade near Novodonetskoye, Ugledar and Staromayorskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. A counterattack by a Ukrainian assault team was repelled near Novodonetskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the statement reads.
According to the ministry, the enemy lost up to 140 troops, two tanks, three armored combat vehicles, three motor vehicles and a Grad multiple rocket launcher. "In addition, a Bukovel-AD electronic warfare system and a Ukrainian ammunition depot were also hit," the ministry added.
Zaporozhye Region
Russian forces repelled two attacks by Ukrainian assault teams in the Zaporozhye Region in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"Two counterattacks by the assault teams of the 15th National Guard Brigade were repelled near Rabotino in the Zaporozhye Region. In the Kherson area, units of Battlegroup Dnepr inflicted a fire defeat on troops and equipment of the 28th and 65th mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces near Rabotino and Shcherbaki in the Zaporozhye Region," the statement reads.
According to the ministry, Ukraine lost up to 30 troops, three motor vehicles and a US-made M777 howitzer.
Watch Russian Heavy Howitzers Strike Ukrainian Positions in Zaporozhye
Frontline territories in Zaporozhye, Kherson and the Donbass have turned into a deadly no man’s land, with areas stretching thousands of square kilometers becoming barren landscapes of ruined buildings, felled brush and trees and steppes pockmarked by back and forth firing.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has published new footage of Msta-B 152-mm towed artillery crews firing on fortified Ukrainian positions in Zaporozhye region.
The footage, shot by drones hovering over the battlefield, shows 152-mm shells landing on a landscape heavily scarred in intense fighting, with the impacting projectiles sending earth and vegetation flying skyward as Russian forces searched for Ukrainian troops operating in the area.
Developed in the 1980s and fielded by Russia and half a dozen other post-Soviet countries, the Msta-B is among the most modern pieces of towed artillery in use in the world today. The 6.8 ton, 12.7 meter-long weapon is crewed by between 6-11 personnel, and can fire 5-6 high-explosive shells per minute. The system has a maximum firing range of nearly 29 km.
A self-propelled version of the howitzer, the 2S19 Msta-S, was put into service in the late 1980s, and has been used extensively by Russian forces over the course of operations in the proxy war with NATO in Ukraine.
Kupyansk area
Russian forces repelled four Ukrainian attacks near the Senkovka railway station in the Kupyansk area in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"In the Kupyansk area, units of Battlegroup West inflicted a fire defeat on troops and equipment of the 143rd Infantry Brigade and the 25th Airborne Brigade near Prikolotoye in the Kharkov Region and Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Besides, four enemy counterattacks were repelled near the Senkovka railway station in the Kharkov Region. The Ukrainian army lost up to 180 troops, a tank, three motor vehicles, a US-made M777 howitzer, a US-made M198 howitzer and a D-20 howitzer," the statement reads.
Donetsk area
Ukraine lost over 360 troops in the Donetsk area in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"In the Donetsk area, units of Battlegroup South improved their frontline positions, defeating the forces of the 22nd, 28th and 92nd mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces near Kleshcheyevka, Dyleyevka and Kurdyumovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian army lost over 360 troops, a tank, two armored combat vehicles and four motor vehicles," the statement reads.
According to the ministry, a US-made M777 howitzer, a German-made Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzer, a D-20 howitzer, a Gvozdika howitzer and a Ukrainian ammunition depot were hit by counterbattery fire.
Air Force and air defenses
Russian air defenses destroyed 77 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles and downed six HIMARS rockets in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"Air defenses downed six HIMARS rockets and destroyed 77 Ukrainian drones in the past day, particularly near Novokrasnyanka, Raigorodka, Troitskoye and Golikovo in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Sladkaya Balka in the Zaporozhye Region and Chernomorovka in the Kherson Region," the statement reads.
Destroyed equipment tally
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a total of 574 planes, 267 helicopters, 13,392 unmanned aerial vehicles, 473 missile systems, 15,220 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,225 multiple rocket launchers, 8,161 field artillery systems and mortars, as well as 19,055 special military motor vehicles, have been wiped out since the start of Moscow’s special military operation.
NATO defense officials informed Western media last fall that Russia is producing up to 7 times more ammunition than the US and Europe combined, with the Western bloc at risk of running out of weaponry and cash to continue fueling the proxy war against Moscow in Ukraine.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has published footage of a 2S5 Giantsint-S self-propelled gun speedily maneuvering around the battlefield and firing at Ukrainian positions in Kharkov region’s Kupyansk area.
The footage shows the heavy 152 mm self-propelled gun traveling through a field, stopping, communicating by radio with command to determine its fire coordinates, preparing shells for fire and launching strikes.
The MoD says the gun destroyed a Ukrainian camouflaged dugout and killed an unspecified number of enemy troops.
Maneuverability can be critical for artillery forces operating in frontline areas, with the enemy able to quickly triangulate their location, meaning after firing, howitzers, guns and rocket artillery systems must quickly evacuate the area before being struck in an enemy retaliation. This strategy of firing and leaving the area is known in US military jargon as shoot-and-scoot.
Developed in the 1960s and produced for the Soviet military between the mid-1970s and early 1990s, the 2S5 Giantsint-S is one of about half-a-dozen heavy self-propelled artillery and rocket systems used by Russia in the ongoing NATO-backed proxy war in Ukraine. The Russian military is estimated to operate about 85 Giantsint-S guns at any one time, with 850 more in storage. Belarus is the second-largest operator of the system, with over 100 Giantsint-S guns in service with the Belarusian Armed Forces as of 2023. Ukraine is estimated to possess about 10 Giantsint-S systems.
The Giantsint-S uses a modified 2K11 Krug SAM system tracked chassis, which can lug its 152 mm 2A37 L54-caliber gun distances up to 500 km at speeds between 25 km per hour in rough terrain to 62 km per hour on the highway. The system has a 5-man crew, and a firing range of between 28-40 km, depending on the type of round used (rocket-assisted rounds fly further).
Israeli forces stand guard as machinery operates amid the ruins of a Palestinian house in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, on January 19, 2022 [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP]
Fakhri Abu Diab had no time to pack his belongings when the Israeli authorities arrived on his doorstep in occupied East Jerusalem on February 14. The police first evicted his family and then ordered a bulldozer to demolish his home.
“All of my memories were in that house,” said Abu Diab, 62, who was born and raised in that home. “I even had a picture of my mother holding me as a child. It was hanging on our wall, but now it’s gone.”
In the wake of Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, the Jerusalem municipality has stepped up home demolitions on the east side of the city, which Israel annexed from the occupied West Bank in 1967 and where most of Jerusalem’s 362,000 Palestinians live.
During the first nine months of 2023, Israel demolished a total of 97 Palestinian homes. But 87 homes have been bulldozed in East Jerusalem since Hamas’s deadly attack on Israeli communities and military outposts in southern Israel on October 7 last year, according to Ir Amim, a local non-profit which monitors home demolitions and advocates for Palestinian rights.
The acute uptick in demolitions suggests that Jerusalem’s municipality is exploiting the global attention on Gaza, where nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, to try and uproot more Palestinians from East Jerusalem, activists and experts say.
“These (demolitions) are done under the guise of law enforcement – as if it is a bureaucratic measure – but it is actually a form of state violence and it serves as a mechanism of Palestinian displacement to drive them from the city,” said Amy Cohen, the director of international relations and advocacy for Ir Amim.
Systemic violence
Israel justifies demolishing Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem by claiming that they have been built without permits. The municipality typically only allows majority Jewish neighbourhoods to build new homes.
The legal discrimination has forced Palestinians to build without permits, rendering 28 percent of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem “illegal”.
The Israeli authorities have issued orders to demolish most of them, according to Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer who specialises in legal and public issues in East Jerusalem.
“Before the war, there were roughly 20,000 outstanding demolition orders and those orders never expire,” Seidemann said.
Home demolitions are prohibited under international law unless they are necessary for military operations. But Omar Shakir, the Israel-Palestine director of Human Rights Watch, said that Israel has created a legal structure to allow it to demolish Palestinian homes
“There are different mechanisms (to enforce demolitions), each of which ultimately furthers the same objective of forcing Palestinians off their land and maximising land for Jewish Israelis,” he said.
Since October 7, Seidemann said Palestinians in East Jerusalem have become noticeably more afraid of losing their homes. He cited the perceived increase in racist rhetoric and violent harassment that Israeli politicians and security officials have shown Palestinians.
The tense atmosphere at the moment is causing [Palestinians to think that] if they have a demolition order, then their home could be (destroyed) next,” he said.
Sending a message
The demolition of Abu Diab’s home has compounded this fear, experts and activists say.
Abu Diab, is, himself, a human rights activist and the elected spokesperson of Silwan, a district that represents about 60,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Residents trust him to speak out against home demolitions and other forms of systemic discrimination that Palestinians face from the Israeli occupying authorities.
“This is not the first time that the Israelis have targeted him,” said Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, the Israeli co-director with Abu Diab of Jahalin Solidarity, a local organisation trying to prevent the forced displacement of Palestinians. “He was put in prison on one occasion and, another time, his son was arrested. The message was to ‘Tell your father to shut up’.
“I asked Abu Diab after [Israel] demolished his house if he would stop speaking out. He said, ‘I’ll speak out even more now,’” Godfrey-Goldstein said.
Fakhri Abu Diab drinks tea and greets friends at Al-Aqsa Mosque [Mat Nashed/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian and Israeli activists believe that advocacy to protect Palestinian homes is needed now more than ever. With municipal elections approaching on February 27, Abu Diab believes that candidates may be deliberately calling to demolish more homes to appeal to their constituents.
He said he fears that the far-right candidate, Arieh King, who is currently deputy mayor of Jerusalem, could become the next mayor. King has previously stated that he aims to limit the building of Palestinian homes in order to protect Israel’s character as a Jewish state. In December, he posted on X, calling Palestinians “subhuman”.
“If King becomes the next mayor in the coming elections, the situation will become quite difficult. He has openly threatened to demolish Palestinian homes and kill Palestinians,” said Abu Diab.
‘There will be a reaction’
Abu Diab said that he owes his life to Godfrey-Goldstein and other activists for quickly notifying journalists and human rights organisations when the police stormed his home. He believes the police may have seriously injured or killed him had it not been for those arriving to video the demolition.
“My wife was sleeping when about 20 or 30 officers stormed in. We are traumatised from what we experienced,” he said.
But while Abu Diab survived, he and his family – children and grandchildren – are now homeless. He told Al Jazeera that he is sleeping in the homes of friends and relatives in his community, often moving from one residence to another.
Abu Diab is also concerned that he may not be able to afford the demolition. Israeli authorities typically require Palestinian residents to pay for the bulldozing of their homes as well as the salaries of police officers who are deployed to evict residents and secure the premises.
Abu Diab expects the total bill to amount to $20,000 or $30,000. However, his immediate priority is to try and find a new home for his grandchildren, who are too young to understand why they are homeless.
His two-year-old granddaughter recently asked him why the police destroyed their house. He said he had no idea how to answer.
Although he’s trying to remain strong for his family, Abu Diab worries about the future, and warned that Palestinians in East Jerusalem will eventually erupt in anger if Israeli authorities continue to step up home demolitions.
“There will be a reaction,” he told Al Jazeera. “People can’t stand this for long.”
