By: Ridwan Putra Khalan )*
In the increasingly dynamic political atmosphere leading up to the 2024 Regional Election, the threat of spreading hoaxes is becoming more real and dangerous. This is no longer just an issue that can be ignored, but a serious challenge that must be faced by all elements of society, especially in this digital era.
The public is urged to be wiser in receiving information and actively participate in maintaining the integrity of the democratic process. Without a joint effort to counter hoaxes, the Regional Election, which is expected to be a momentum for healthy democracy, could turn into an arena for division and social conflict.
In Central Kalimantan, the Regional Secretary (Sekda) H. Nuryakin has emphasized the importance of community participation in making the Regional Election a success which will take place on November 27.
In celebrating the 22nd anniversary of Murung Raya Regency, Nuryakin not only invited the public to participate in the democratic process, but also emphasized the importance of maintaining harmony, security, and harmony in society.
The digital era brings many conveniences, but also new challenges, one of which is the spread of hoaxes through social media. These hoaxes are often divisive, contain hate speech, and slander that can damage social cohesion.
Nuryakin said that hoaxes circulating regarding candidates or other sensitive issues can damage the integrity of the democratic process. Therefore, the public must be vigilant and more critical in responding to information circulating, especially that sourced from untrusted social media.
Regional head elections should be an event to choose leaders who will bring prosperity to the entire community, without distinguishing between ethnicity, religion, nation, or race. Nuryakin reminded that the leaders who are elected later belong to everyone, not just to certain groups.
Thus, justice and togetherness in the election process are very crucial for regional progress. This is a time when the entire community must unite, put aside differences, and together contribute to regional progress.
In the midst of these challenges, the neutrality of the State Civil Apparatus (ASN) is also in the spotlight. Nuryakin appealed to ASN to maintain their neutrality during the Pilkada. ASN neutrality is one of the important pillars in ensuring that the Pilkada takes place with good quality.
ASN has a crucial role in ensuring that the democratic process runs fairly and honestly, so that the elected leaders are truly able to bring progress and prosperity to the community. This neutrality is not only a matter of professionalism, but also a matter of moral responsibility to the community.
Furthermore, Nuryakin touched on the potential for conflict that could arise due to hoax news or false information that cannot be accounted for. For example, if a billboard is damaged, then accused of a certain party without clear evidence, then this can trigger conflict in the community.
This shows how important it is to always seek the truth and not immediately believe the information circulating. Hoaxes not only damage the reputation of individuals or groups, but can also divide society.
Hoaxes are not only a major challenge in the 2024 Pilkada, but also in previous general elections. Based on data, as many as 3,235 hoaxes have spread in the community in the 2024 Election, with 1,921 of them being successfully removed. This hoax is mainly widely circulated through social media, reaching 92.4 percent. This figure shows how important it is to prevent and overcome hoaxes ahead of the regional elections.
Secretary of the Communication, Informatics, Statistics, and Cryptography Service (DKISP) Rastono explained that the regional government has an active role in handling hoax issues in the upcoming regional elections. One of the steps taken is through the use of Social Media Analytics Tools at the DKISP Command Center. This tool functions to monitor the movement of issues on social media and detect the spread of hoax news.
Rastono added that by using Social Media Analytics Tools, the government can monitor comments on social media more effectively. This is expected to help detect and handle hoax news before it spreads more widely.
In addition, the Rakor (Coordination Meeting) held also aims to implement the mandate of Law Number 32 of 2002 concerning Broadcasting, which gives authority to the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) to ensure that the information received by the public is true and appropriate.
The Coordinator of the Broadcasting Policy and System Development (PKSP) Division of the Central Sulawesi KPID, Muhammad Ramadhan Tahir, explained the role of the KPI in supervising Pilkada broadcasts. The KPI carries out direct and indirect supervision, involving community participation.
Ramadhan Tahir emphasized that indirect supervision is highly dependent on community participation. For this reason, the KPID formed the Women’s Broadcast Care Group (KPPS) as a participatory supervisory institution.
The KPPS functions to direct children and the community to be more selective in watching useful broadcasts. Currently, the KPPS is in Poso and Tojo Una-Una, and will be expanded to all districts/cities in Central Sulawesi in stages.
This effort is part of the local government’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the Pilkada and ensuring that information circulating in the community is correct and accountable.
With strict supervision and active participation from the community, it is hoped that the 2024 Pilkada can take place safely, peacefully, and successfully. This is a time when the community must unite, reject all forms of hoaxes, and contribute to maintaining a healthy democratic process.
Let us together protect the 2024 Pilkada from all forms of hoaxes and slander, for the sake of creating a clean and quality democratic process.
)* The author is a contributor to Ruang Baca Nusantara