Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta.  The Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform, Abdullah Azwar Anas, has told civil servants to maintain their neutrality during the 2024 general elections by not pressing 'like' button or commenting on the social media posts of presidential and vice presidential candidates. "Civil servants are requested not to interact with presidential and vice-presidential candidates on social media, including 'liking' and commenting on their posts, and are also prohibited from sharing (related) stickers on(WhatsApp," he said on Thursday (9/11/2023). Anas said his ministry had signed a memorandum of understanding on the neutrality of civil servants with several parties and officials, including the General Elections Supervisory Commission, the General Elections Commission, the Indonesian National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo and Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, antaranwews.com reported. The minister has also prepared sanctions ranging from warnings to criminal penalties for those who violate the rule. On 22 September, the Indonesian government issued a joint decree on guidelines for guiding and monitoring the neutrality of civil servants in the conduct of general elections. The decree requires civil servants to sign an integrity pact, which includes conditions on the use of social media, such as not liking content from the social media accounts of election candidates. The decree also requires officials not to leave supportive comments for candidates or spread false news about the elections through their social media accounts. (mg/inp/pr/nm)