Prevent Potential Conflicts, Beware of Empty Box Provocations Ahead of the Regional Elections
By : Haikal Fathan Akbar )*
As the Regional Head Election (Pilkada) approaches, it is important for us to be careful of the various potential conflicts that may arise. One of them is provocation carried out through an “empty box”. This situation is not a new phenomenon, but the threats that emerge along with it could pose a serious threat to the stability of democracy in Indonesia.
The General Election Commission (KPU) of the Republic of Indonesia has emphasized that the public has the right to support an empty box in the Pilkada which is only contested by a single candidate. This is actually part of the political freedom guaranteed by democracy.
The chairman of the Indonesian KPU, Mochammad Afifuddin, in his statement said that the public’s “partiality” for the empty box was legitimate. However, the main concern is not to let this support be used as a tool of provocation to influence other people not to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming regional elections.
Often, this empty box concept is misunderstood. Many see it as a form of resistance to a single candidate, but more than that, an empty box can also be a symbol of dissatisfaction with the existing political process. However, it is important to note that empty boxes should not be used to discourage voter participation, as this could have negative implications for the sustainability of democracy.
On the other hand, Afifuddin admitted that up to now, the KPU has not been able to confirm whether they will also facilitate the campaign for empty boxes as a valid option in the upcoming election.
According to him, this is still a topic of discussion that needs to be discussed further, especially because the registration process for regional head candidate pairs has not yet been opened. We are still waiting to see whether on August 27-29 there will really be many single candidates and empty boxes, which will certainly influence political dynamics in various regions.
The phenomenon of empty boxes in regional elections is actually not new in Indonesia. Since the 2015 Pilkada, we have seen how empty boxes have repeatedly appeared in political contestations, even winning in the 2018 Makassar City Pilkada against the Munafri Arifuddin-Andi Rachmatika Dewi pair. However, in general, 98.11 percent of single candidates who have run since the 2015 regional elections have succeeded in winning the election.
Facing this situation, political experts also spoke up. They assess that empty boxes will increasingly mushroom in the upcoming 2024 regional elections. The Executive Director of Political Parameters, Adi Prayitno, revealed that there is a tendency for regional head candidates to gather support from many parties in order to win the Pilkada without having to face strong political opponents.
An example that can be taken is the Sumenep Regency Pilkada, where the candidate pair Achmad Fauzi Wongsojudo-KH. Imam Hasyim (Fauzi-Imam) is expected to run as the sole candidate because of their dominance in the area.
A similar condition also occurred in the Batam City Pilkada, where the couple Amsakar Achmad and Li Claudia Chandra had succeeded in getting support from almost all existing political parties. This shows how the empty box phenomenon is increasingly entrenched in local political dynamics.
Experts assess that the empty box phenomenon is an indication of a decline in the enthusiasm of political parties to compete fairly in democratic contestation. Instead of nominating competent challengers, political parties prefer to collaborate and form coalitions with figures who have a big chance of winning.
This reflects the decline in democratic practices in Indonesia, where the election process seems to be a mere formality without healthy and fair competition.
Al Azhar University Indonesia political expert, Ujang Komarudin, also criticized this phenomenon as the result of the failure of political party cadre formation. According to him, political parties tend to prefer to take shortcuts by nominating a single candidate against an empty box, rather than providing opportunities for potential cadres to advance. As a result, the nation’s children who excel and have the ability to lead the region are not given space to develop.
This empty box phenomenon is also seen as a form of democratic manipulation carried out by political elites. Constitutional law expert, Feri Amsari, said that embracing all parties to support one candidate in the regional elections has become common practice.
This makes our democracy poor, because only rich candidates who are able to provide political dowries to parties can advance in the contest. Thus, the emergence of competitors who have the potential to make them lose is very minimal.
Feri emphasized that empty boxes are not a true form of democracy. In a constitutional democracy, there should be a battle of ideas between candidates, so that voters have the best alternative choices.
If there is only one candidate, then there are no competing ideas. The empty box is not a representation of a healthy democracy, but only the illusion of democracy which is actually a political dispute between the party and the ruling elite.
Therefore, ahead of the 2024 regional elections, we must be more alert to this empty box phenomenon. Even though it is legally legal, the potential for provocation and the negative impact it can have on our democracy must not be ignored.
Let’s maintain this democratic spirit, don’t let empty boxes reduce the meaning of our choices. Pilkada is an opportunity to determine the future, not just a formality that must be passed. With awareness and active participation, we can prevent potential conflict and ensure that democracy remains alive and healthy in this country.
)* The author is a contributor to the Vimedia Pratama Institute
