BALINEWSID.COM, KLUNGKUNG – Bali Provincial Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) Chairman I Putu Agus Tirta Suguna has urged all Bawaslu personnel to make records management part of their institutional work culture, stressing that archives are more than administrative documents—they serve as evidence of institutional processes, decisions, and responsibilities.

Suguna made the statement during a meeting on administrative and records management at the Klungkung Regency Bawaslu office on Monday (August 10).

He said documents that may appear routine in day-to-day operations could become critically important when an institution needs to verify a process or trace the basis of a decision.

“Things we consider routine in our work can become very important when they are needed as evidence. Therefore, we must not allow documents we create today to become impossible to find when they are needed,” Suguna said.

According to Suguna, proper records management has a direct impact on institutional accountability, particularly when Bawaslu faces an audit, investigation, or other circumstances requiring officials to trace the process behind a particular action or decision.

He noted that records management is often viewed as a simple task that can be postponed. In reality, poorly organized documents can make it difficult for an institution to explain or verify work that has already been carried out.

“Archives are part of the history of our work. When a problem arises, we need to look back at what was done, how the process was carried out, and what the basis for the decision was. All of that requires well-organized documents,” he said.

Suguna also emphasized that records management should not be regarded as the sole responsibility of records officers or a particular administrative unit. Every division and work unit is responsible for organizing the documents generated through its respective duties.

He encouraged records management to begin from the moment a document is created. Incoming and outgoing correspondence, official minutes, activity documents, and records related to decision-making processes should all be systematically managed so they can be easily retrieved when necessary.

The same principle applies to documents received by Bawaslu from external parties, including official minutes and election administration documents that may later serve as comparative data or supporting evidence.

“Do not view records management as an additional task. It must become a habit in our daily work. Everything we do must be properly documented and organized so that we do not face difficulties when the records are needed in the future,” Suguna stressed.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Bali Provincial Bawaslu Secretariat said records management is an integral part of good institutional administration. He acknowledged that records work often receives limited attention because its benefits are not always immediately visible.

However, the importance of archives becomes apparent when an institution is required to provide an explanation or demonstrate that a particular task has been properly carried out. For this reason, records management requires the involvement of institutional leaders, the secretariat, and all divisions.

“Records management cannot be handled by just one or two people. We need coordination and a clear division of responsibilities because documents are created by every part of the organization in the course of its work,” he explained.

Limited human resources also remain one of the challenges in records management. The situation, he said, needs to be addressed through coordination among units to ensure that document management continues consistently, from the creation of a document until it is designated as an archive that must be retained in accordance with applicable regulations.

Technical guidance on records management was also provided by the Head of the Klungkung Regency Library and Archives Service. He emphasized that archives play an important role in protecting institutions because every task carried out must ultimately be supported by documentary evidence.

Archives, he said, should not simply be collected. Documents must be classified, recorded, stored, and subject to appropriate access controls so they can be retrieved quickly when required.

Such management includes official document procedures, archival classification codes, security and access classification systems, and records retention schedules. These mechanisms determine how documents are stored, who is authorized to access them, and how long they must be retained.

“Archives are not simply collected. They must be organized and classified so that they can be easily retrieved when needed,” he said.

Under records management procedures, dynamic records are categorized as active or inactive according to their frequency of use. Records that are used less frequently should be properly arranged and transferred to appropriate storage facilities, including a designated records center.

The disposal of records must also follow established procedures. Once records reach the end of their retention period, their disposition must be determined in accordance with regulations, either for destruction or permanent preservation. Records with historical or permanent informational value must be retained.

In addition to physical records, digitization has also become an important part of modern records management. Digitization, however, should not merely involve converting physical documents into digital files. It must also be supported by proper storage systems, security measures, access controls, and sustainable management.

Suguna reiterated his call for all Bawaslu personnel to develop the habit of organizing records as part of maintaining the quality of institutional work. Proper administration and records management, he said, not only support internal operations but also strengthen Bawaslu’s ability to account for every task it performs.

“What we do today must be accountable in the future. Therefore, do not overlook the small things in document management. What may seem insignificant today could become extremely important when it is needed later,” Suguna concluded.