Jakarta – Community organizations throughout Indonesia are expected to play an active role in making the 2024 simultaneous regional elections a success. In the past few weeks, various officials have emphasized that collaboration between Ormas and the government is key to ensuring a safe and fair democratic process.
Acting Mayor of Pontianak, Ani Sofian said that in essence, the regional elections are a test for all elements of the nation, regarding how far the democratic values that have become part of the identity of the Indonesian nation have been. She hopes that all community leaders, religious leaders and the people of Pontianak City will work together to realize a peaceful regional election. Without the participation of all elements of the nation, a peaceful regional election is difficult to achieve. “Our synergy will help prevent the regional elections from money politics and black campaigns,” said Ani Sofyan.
Meanwhile, the Acting Regional Secretary of South Sulawesi Province, Jufri Rahman, invited all elements of society to contribute to creating a peaceful regional election. He said that peace is an important thing that must be maintained, including during the Pilkada, while emphasizing that peace is expensive, because if peace is damaged, the cost will be greater. “Peace is expensive. Because it is expensive, we must maintain it. Because if peace is damaged even a little, the cost is great. Both material and human costs,” said Jufri Rahman.
In addition, in East Kotawaringin Regency (Kotim), the Head of the Kotim KPU, M. Rifki invited community and religious leaders to help make the implementation of the November 27 Pilkada a success by participating in socializing the Pilkada when they meet directly with the community in their activities.
According to him, the socialization of the Pilkada to increase community participation cannot be done alone by the KPU, but requires assistance from other parties, especially those whose activities can touch various levels of society. “In the previous Pilkada because it was still in the Covid pandemic, the participation rate was still low at around 60 percent. Now that the pandemic is over, we have a target for the number of election participation to reach 80 percent,” he said.
With the increasing threats such as hoaxes and hate speech, mass organizations are expected to provide appropriate political education to the public, encourage the wise use of voting rights, and maintain the integrity of the democratic process. The active involvement of mass organizations not only increases public participation in elections but also becomes a unifying agent amidst complex political dynamics.
The 2024 Pilkada is a momentum for mass organizations to show their commitment to maintaining social harmony and local political stability. This collaboration is expected to form a healthier and more qualified political culture, strengthening Indonesian democracy in the future.