By: Dodik Prasetyo) *
Election of Regional Head (Pilkada) is a matter that involves many parties, and even involves the community in a region to determine who will lead their region for the next 5 years. The community must also be prepared to guard and oversee the implementation of the elections so that the commemoration can run safely and peacefully.
Direct Regional Head Elections or local elections held in 2005 tend to be colored by conflicts, riots and lawsuits to the Constitutional Court.
There are several factors that cause the elections to be chaotic, including the poor behavior of political parties (political parties) in elections that make the centrality of chaos very high and even tends to be repressive. This condition is certainly worrying because it will affect local elections in other places.
In addition, another trigger factor is the mentality of post-election candidate pairs, where there are those who are ready to win but not ready to lose. For the sake of ambition to occupy the post of office, they use their hard-line supporters to realize their power ambitions, including acting anarchistically or defying existing regulations.
Asep Warlan as Professor of Legal Studies at UNIKA Parahyangan believes that the end of the elections will depend on community leaders. During this time, figures who should be role models of the community are easily provoked. Instead, NGO leaders and mass organizations who are supposed to maintain conducive conditions for the community remain provocateurs.
It is no wonder that when riots broke out, security forces became overwhelmed when violence related to the elections occurred.
Post-election riots did not occur only 1 or 2 times, but there have been many long histories that recorded post-election riots in various parts of the country.
However, the dark history must be suppressed, in 2020 Indonesia must show itself as a mature nation and not easily ignited by emotions. All elements of society should be aware that in political contests such as the elections, there are definitely winners and losers.
The Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian said, of the 270 regions that will hold the Simultaneous Election in 2020, as many as 230 incumbents were recorded to be participating in the elections for the second time.
This is certainly very possible if incumbents use power to win the election, so it is very important for ASN to maintain neutrality before and during the elections.
Of course, ensuring that the elections can run peacefully, is not only the task of ASN, but the duty of all elements of society to always support the implementation of peaceful elections.
As carried out by the Peasants Union of 2 villages in Ogan Ilir district who are ready to support the 2020 elections. The people in the 2 villages declare themselves to be ready to succeed and guard the elections peacefully, honestly and fairly.
The declaration has also been reported to the South Sumatra Regional Police, the declaration contains the intention and agreement not to take good anarchist actions.
This was welcomed by Kombes Supriadi as Head of Public Relations of the South Sumatra Regional Police, he also hoped that the declaration would create a peaceful, smooth and successful election process.
The dynamics that occur during the elections are indeed inevitable in every democratic party event. So the role of the TNI-Polri in supporting peaceful local elections is needed.
In addition, what is no less prone to the run-up to the elections is the spread of black campaigns and hoax information that leads to incitement that can break a sense of unity.
Of course digital literacy is needed to equip the community when exposed to unclear information as to its validity, so that people will be better equipped to succeed in the implementation of a peaceful local election.
Incitement or hoax news really does not have the slightest benefit, instead the false news will have the potential to add sparks in the midst of the dynamics of the elections that tend to heat up.
The community must also use their voting rights to choose one of the pairs, which would be important to study the vision and mission and the track record of the candidates they would choose.
Safeguarding a peaceful local election certainly requires synergy from all parties, both paslon, the success team, the security apparatus, CSO activists / NGOs and the people who participate in voting.
) * The author is a contributor to the Indonesian Strategic Information Study Institute (LSISI)