By: Akbar Maulana *
Indonesian society should be good-looking and happy, because in some sectors, the journey of democracy in this country is getting better. The direct electoral system is gradually undergoing reform. The community is getting smarter and the press has freedom that is open to guarding democracy which is certainly worthy of thanks.
This progress can certainly be a capital in welcoming the 2019 Election. Where in the democratic party it is hoped that it will be a safe and peaceful political contest. In addition, the election also does not only prioritize procedures, but also on quality results.
In contestations such as the presidential election or regional elections, inter-candidate conflicts still occur frequently and this involves supporters both in the real world such as intimidation by sympathizers because of different t-shirts, and intimidation in cyberspace which is often tinged with hoaxes and KPU delegitimation efforts as independent institutions.
Black campaign models are also often found in every democratic party. Starting from the politicization of mosques to the spread of hate speech, as well as hoax news that is widely colored the universe of cyberspace. These problems are indeed not easy to avoid, especially in the case of politicization of religion where religious sentiment is a topic that is easily fried to be disseminated to the public. Therefore, it is necessary to sort out the call for religious morals in terms of leadership and the use of religion in momentary political interests. Thus, the religious leaders also need to be aware of this and be aware of the existence of practical political efforts wrapped in da’wah material.
Community leaders and religious leaders certainly play an important role in strengthening democracy that is substantial, not the other way around which undermines democracy by saying hatred in places of worship. Efforts to sell verses or traditions to win certain candidates are things that should be avoided by religious leaders. Because such a method would only make the way of democracy worse in Indonesia.
The politicization of religion and the spread of false news will only alienate democracy from the values of peace, because it has the potential to cause social friction for supporters and sympathizers of one of the candidate pairs. The worst impact would be to divide the people. Even though in reality, elections are held to produce quality leaders and create good democracy.
Smart voters certainly have an important role in efforts to realize democracy in Indonesia. Smart voters will immediately choose according to their conscience not because of money or intimidation. Indeed elections are a means to select prospective credible leaders. That way, the quality of prospective leaders is largely determined by the election process. Therefore, it is important for the community to choose prospective leaders who are seen as credible, of course, the community must not abstain, because this will only be beneficial for non-credible candidates.
Golput behavior is usually carried out by people who are critical who see that there is no credible candidate in the election. Though golput will only provide opportunities for parties who are less competent to win the election. The potential for intimidation on April 17, 2019 will indeed be worthy of caution. Therefore the Chairperson of GP Ansor Chairman Yaqut Cholil Qoumas appealed to all Anshor cadres and Bansers to create a Peaceful Election with a white Wednesday movement. This movement was a step in Ansor’s response to a group suspected of intimidation ahead of the upcoming April 17 vote.
GP Ansor has coordinated with the TNI and Polri. Technically, when there was intimidation from certain parties, Banser would coordinate with the authorities.
“In all the cadres, we have divided the task with a layer system. That is, there are Bansers who wear uniforms to help the TNI – POLRI officers maintain security, while those who are not in uniform wear white clothes in charge of inviting prospective voters to the polling stations using white shirts, “he said.
Therefore the community does not need to be afraid to give their voting rights, but even more frightening is when the golput numbers will give victory to prospective leaders who are easily angry, not credible and backed by conservative Islamic organizations to lead Indonesia in the next 5 years.
- The author is an observer of social and political problems