By: Safira Tri Ningsih )*
Youths are expected to actively participate in elections, because they are the hope of the nation. This is done by actively supporting the presidential candidate of his choice (in a positive way) and campaigning for anti-abstentions (white group). Youth must participate in general elections because they play an important role in determining the direction of Indonesia going forward.
General election (election) is an event in which the people choose their own president, as well as members of the legislature. The election took place with great fanfare. Especially when the people could vote for their own presidential candidate (candidate), after the New Order they could only vote for a party, while the president never changed.
The youth took part in celebrating the elections. Not just as a voter. But also to prevent divisions from occurring when the campaign period reaches after the election. When young people play a role in the election, they are optimistic that this event will be successful, without any chaos, both in the real world and in cyberspace.
Youth participation is very important for the success of the 2024 Election. Chairman of the Indonesian MPR Bambang Soesatyo stated that the voice of the younger generation will determine the results of the 2024 General Election and the Simultaneous Regional Head Elections. Adequate political literacy is needed, in order to have awareness and understanding in making political choices.
Bambang Sosatyo continued, the presence of the Central Leadership Council of the Student Executive Body Alumni Forum (DPP FA-BEM) led by General Chairperson Zainudin Arsyad and Secretary General Rafli Maulana, was not just a gathering place for alumni, but also a forum for intellectual thought to increase the political literacy of the younger generation.
In a sense, young people are expected to take an active part in elections and increase political literacy. Don’t be skeptical and say that whoever the president is, the results are the same, because different leaders must have different results. They must be active in elections and use their right to vote, because it will determine the direction of Indonesia in the future.
The number of youth is currently around 65.82 million, or the equivalent of 24 percent of the total population. The addition of young voters in the 2024 election is estimated to reach 20 percent of the 2019 election. As of February 2023, it was recorded that the number of early voters had reached 117 million voters, or around 57.3 percent of the total voters.
Bambang Sosatyo explained, most of the youth in Indonesia have a middle to lower level educational background. According to BPS data, in 2022, the number of SMA graduates will be recorded at 39.6 percent, and SMP graduates at 35.78 percent. Meanwhile, the number of university graduates only reached 10.97 percent. If this condition is not addressed wisely, it can result in a gradation in the quality of the political choices of the younger generation.
The enthusiasm of youth to participate in the 2024 elections is not necessarily directly proportional to their interest in joining a political party. The survey results showed that 13.6 percent of youth expressed interest in joining a political party, and only 1.1 percent were truly affiliated with a political party. These results indicate the strong perspective or negative stigma of youth in interpreting the existence of political parties.
The negative stigma of elections can be fought by increasing political literacy skills. The way to increase political literacy is to recognize who the presidential candidates are in the upcoming 2024 election and see their vision and mission. That way the youth can choose which presidential candidate is suitable and is considered capable of leading Indonesia for the next 5 years. Youth activeness in elections will make this program a success.
Youths are also strictly prohibited from abstaining. The rise of abstentions makes the government worried because it is dangerous and cannot improve the fate of the nation. Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto stated that the Indonesian people must use and not waste their right to vote for various reasons.
Prabowo added that golput is very detrimental because those who do not exercise their right to vote are wasting their opportunity. The fate of the people is determined by elections so that if many people abstain it is the same as losing money.
In that sense, golput is not a solution to improve the fate of the nation. The reason is because if many people do not exercise their right to vote, then the future of Indonesia is at stake.
Therefore, young people are strictly prohibited from abstaining because it harms themselves and risks the future of Indonesia. If there are many empty ballots, it will be detrimental because there is the potential for misuse by unscrupulous persons. The ballot could have been pierced with a nail or crossed out with a ballpoint pen, then fraud occurred. The party that was elected was not 100% of the people’s choice, but was the fruit of the crimes of the elements on duty at the TPS.
Young people are expected to actively participate in the 2024 election, either by campaigning, or at least getting to know who the presidential candidates are in the upcoming general election. They should not be skeptical, even abstain, because it will hurt Indonesia’s future. Youth must be active in elections for a better Indonesia.
)* The author is Daris Pustaka Contributor