The public must be alert and anticipate potential conflicts ahead of the 2024 regional elections
By : Mayang Dwi Andaru )*
People in a number of regions in Indonesia will hold Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) simultaneously. All elements must continue to be vigilant and anticipate potential conflicts that may occur, especially ahead of the 2024 regional elections.
Harmony and integrity are the keys to creating a conducive atmosphere for the implementation of Pancasila values in realizing honest and fair regional elections free from potential conflict. The reason is, if the public is not alert and anticipates as early as possible the possibility of potential conflict occurring in the 2024 regional elections, then it is not impossible that regional instability will occur, thereby spreading to state instability.
Regional stability and conduciveness, even at the national level, is very important because without it, this nation will further hamper its efforts to achieve progress in welcoming a Golden Indonesia 2045. Therefore, it is very important to increase awareness and anticipate potential conflicts ahead of the Pilkada.
The implementation of the 2024 Regional Head Election has the potential to give rise to various kinds of social conflicts in society. So that various parties have a joint duty and responsibility to prevent this from happening. In fact, it is not just social conflict that might occur, but several other problems could also arise in the regional elections, such as the issue of neutrality of the state civil apparatus (ASN), misuse of programs, regional budgets and even the professionalism of the election organizers themselves.
Political Director of the Intelligence and Security Agency of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) Brigadier General of Police (Brigjen Pol) Yuda Gustawan said that social conflict occurred due to a number of triggers such as issues of ethnicity, religion, race and intergroup (SARA).
Furthermore, social conflict can also occur due to identity politics, campaigns, provocations on social media, the voting and counting process at TPS, the process of registering and determining candidate pairs, determining the winner and inaugurating the elected Regional Head, as well as installing and controlling APKs or billboards. There are also other things that the public should be aware of and anticipate, which have the potential to give rise to conflict in the regional elections, namely fraud, propaganda, manipulation, polarization and dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, Member of the General Election Supervisory Body of the Republic of Indonesia (Bawaslu RI), Lolly Suhenty, believes that all stages in the Pilkada are indeed vulnerable because of the potential for friction in society. Because this event is an opportunity for the community to choose the best leader for their region, the potential for conflict that arises is not only from the elite, but also regional conflicts.
Don’t let the campaign efforts that incite and slander continue to develop in society, including pitting political parties, individuals and/or community groups against each other.
On the other hand, the Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian considers that direct regional head elections often make relations between governors and regents or mayors not get along just because of political matters. In fact, now should be the best momentum for all parties to complete development without the slightest political obstacles. However, what often happens is that differences in the political parties of regional heads often lead to incompatibility. If this situation continues, it will clearly cause development to be less than optimal and increasingly detrimental to the entire community.
It is very important to have synergy between all elements of society, including state institutions, in overseeing the entire regional election implementation process so that potential conflicts do not occur in society. With good synergy between all parties, good optimization of early vigilance regarding the security and order situation in the community environment (kamtibmas) will be achieved.
Emphasis on holding regional elections in a fair and democratic manner must be a value that continues to be upheld as a step to encourage the prevention of conflict and violence that occurs during the regional level democratic process.
The community must remain alert to signs of social unrest and resolve all conflicts that occur with a cool head. If, for example, there are parties who encounter an issue on social media, then they should check and re-check so that they are not consumed by hoax issues. Apart from that, the public should also remain guided by the rules and continue to prioritize the value of tolerance in all their actions, especially when approaching and during the Pilkada.
As early as possible awareness from the community regarding the potential for conflict is very useful for preventing and minimizing the possibility of undesirable things occurring. Continuing to maintain harmony and integrity is the key to creating a conducive atmosphere for the implementation of Pancasila values in realizing honest and fair regional elections free from potential conflict.
Anticipation and vigilance are of course the obligation and necessity of the entire community so that the possibility of potential conflict ahead of the Pilkada does not occur.
)* The author is a Contributor at the Sadawira Utama Institute
