By: Clara Diah Wulandari )*
The role of youth in being able to contribute and play an active role in counteracting the spread of radicalism and terrorism is something that deserves special attention. This is in order to be able to oversee every stage of the 2024 Election to run smoothly and peacefully.
The youth are those who will become the next generation of this nation, so the fate of the country in the future will of course also be determined by them. The attitude of the younger generation of a nation towards their own country cannot be underestimated.
Moreover, the younger generation themselves are usually those who still tend to be unstable when it comes to their identity. Young people usually have a tendency to be very enthusiastic and passionate, including they are still looking for self-identity so that it will be very easy to be brainwashed by several parties or groups who deliberately take advantage of them.
Moreover, there is a movement from groups that continue to try to propagate the teachings of radicalism and terrorism and even spread it through social media or digital space, which is the gathering point for youth today.
Of course, with the increasingly widespread spread of information flows through social media and digital space, these places are very vulnerable and have the potential to be used by propagandists of radical teachings and terrorists to continue to spread their way of thinking and recruit sympathizers.
In the run-up to the implementation of the democratic party and political contestation in the upcoming 2024 General Election (Election), it turns out that the movement of radical propagandists and terrorists is also increasing rapidly to look for young people who they will recruit to become their sympathizers and of course this will seriously disturb the stability of the country.
For this reason, all parties must continue to be vigilant about this. One of the precautions carried out by the Bengkulu Provincial Government (Pemprov) through the Terrorism Prevention Coordination Forum (FKPT) together with Forkopimda and the ranks of the security apparatus from joint personnel consisting of the Indonesian National Army (TNI) to the Indonesian National Police (Polri).
All parties in Bengkulu together, in a compact and solid manner, are continuing to make efforts to carry out various kinds of strategic steps in counteracting all forms of radicalism and terrorism in the midst of life in society.
Regarding this strategic step, the Deputy for Prevention, Protection and De-radicalization of the Republic of Indonesia’s National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT RI), Major General (Mayjen) TNI Nisan Setiadi revealed that youths are expected to become agents of change in order to be able to combat the spread of religious beliefs. radicalism and terrorism.
Therefore, they continue to invite these youths to jointly continue to fight against the notion of violence or radicalism, which is very real in today’s society. In fact, the spread of radicalism and terrorism also seriously threatens the unity and integrity of the nation.
In the same vein, Assistant I for Government Affairs and People’s Welfare of the Regional Secretariat of Bengkulu Province Khairil Anwar explained that they are continuously trying to increase awareness. Moreover, with the influence of social media and digital space on young people at this time, it has the potential to actually have a negative effect on their behavior to direct these unstable youths to radical views.
Not only inviting young people to take deterrence and be able to combat radicalism and terrorism, but another strategic step taken is to increase coordination with law enforcement officials such as the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) in the regions and even cooperate with the Religious Communication Forum. (FKUB) to optimally continue to intensify these efforts.
As it enters the political year ahead of the 2024 General Election as it is now, all elements of society in Indonesia, especially the youth are also expected to be able to peacefully oversee all stages of the political contestation together.
This effort must be the concern of all parties, because the implementation of the 2024 election, which is supposed to be the venue for a democratic party, can actually cause divisions in society, especially to the point where there is an understanding of radicalism which actually further tarnishes the principle of implementing democracy in the country.
In order to continue to be able to oversee the entire process of the stages in the General Election (Election) in 2024, of course all elements of the nation must take part in it. Especially for youth, their role is very important in fighting and preventing the spread of radicalism and terrorism.
)* The author is a contributor to Nusantara Reading Room