By: Shenna Aprilya Zahra )*
Ahead of the 2024 elections, the public is urged to work together with the security forces to prevent radicalism. To make elections successful, there must be prevention of all kinds of crimes, including terrorism and radicalism. Don’t let terrorist groups create chaos and derail the 2024 elections.
The 2024 Election is very thrilling because there are 3 new Presidential Candidates, and people are enthusiastic to know who the next President of Indonesia will be. The community is trying to make the election run successfully, by voting in an orderly manner on election day and avoiding black campaigns. The election must be successful because it determines the fate of Indonesia for the next 5 years.
To succeed in the 2024 Election, one way is to prevent radicalism and terrorism. North Sulawesi Regional Police intelligence director, Kombespol Andhika Vishnu, invites the public to jointly prevent radicalism and terrorism in the digital era in the 2024 elections.
Kombespol Andhika Vishnu continued, currently the 2024 election stage has rolled. The National Police and all relevant stakeholders are required to ensure that the 2024 elections take place in a safe, peaceful and conducive manner.
During the Election there are potential vulnerabilities, one of which is the potential threat related to radicalism and terrorism which is very likely to arise by utilizing various digital platforms. As is known, in today’s digital era it is very open and unlimited. The National Police invites all components to maintain the conduciveness of the Kamtibmas situation in the Southeast Sulawesi Province.
In a sense, the National Police invites the public to work together to prevent radicalism and terrorism ahead of the 2024 Election, especially in cyberspace. Elections are prone to friction because there are differences in the choices of political parties and presidential candidates. However, it is hoped that this difference will not be exaggerated, so that elections can be peaceful and terror-free.
The period leading up to the election has the potential to be used by radical and terrorist groups to spread hoaxes and propaganda. They deliberately do this to make people lazy to vote so as to increase the level of abstentions. Even though abstentions are dangerous because they show people’s distrust of the government.
Radical and terrorist groups not only plan to attack the real world with bombs, but also disrupt cyberspace with propaganda and hoaxes. The public is asked to be more vigilant and not to believe too much news with bombastic titles. Maybe it’s just a hoax. They must check the truth and not be fooled.
For this reason, literacy intelligence is needed in cyberspace. The reason is because the terror launched by radical groups has begun to shift to social media. Don’t just share photos or news because there is a potential for hoaxes. People have to listen carefully and don’t believe it easily.
The community continues to work together to prevent radicalism because the General Election is only a few months away. This is done by increasing internet literacy intelligence and providing education on how to distinguish between genuine news and hoaxes. Don’t let the terrorists laugh out loud because the hoaxes they make make people antipathy towards elections.
Meanwhile, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) is preparing a number of steps to prevent the threat of terrorism ahead of the 2024 Election. This institution is working with the General Election Commission (KPU) to prevent the spread of intolerance and terrorism among election participants.
The head of the BNPT, Komjen Pol Boy Rafli Amar, stated that the climate for democracy must be free from the influence of intolerance and terrorism. He wants the democracy index in Indonesia to get better and all parties must comply with the rules in a democratic party.
Police Commissioner General Boy Rafli Amar continued, he wanted the democratic party to be carried out with full respect for the nation’s cultural values, legal values that apply in Indonesia, and of course values that fulfill the rules that democracy is properly implemented.
In a sense, the election is a very important moment for Indonesia to elect a new president and members of the legislature. Do not let the elections be disrupted by the actions of radical groups and terrorists. They understand that during an election, people gather to vote for a presidential candidate and there is a potential for crowds to become an easy target for attacks and bombings.
BNPT certainly has anticipated the bad possibilities that will occur before and during the election. Therefore, security is getting tighter, both when presidential candidates or legislative member candidates are campaigning, as well as when the voting begins. Not only security guards and security guards have been deployed, but also security forces to ensure that the community is completely free from the threat of terrorist attacks.
The community also cooperates with security forces and the BNPT to prevent terrorism and radicalism, both in the real world and in cyberspace. They want the 2024 Election to be successful and they don’t want terror to derail the Election. This grand event must be successful so that the lives of Indonesian citizens will get better.
With the synergy between the community and security forces, they are optimistic that the 2024 elections will run smoothly. This program will be a success because all Indonesian citizens aged 17 and over are obedient in voting and prevent terrorism by counteracting hoaxes on social media. The community also made an anti-hoax campaign so that there would be no more terror in cyberspace, which could threaten the smooth running of the election.
)* The author is a contributor to Nusantara Reading Room
