By: Naufal Putra Bratajaya)*
The public must be able to be aware of the spread of fake news or hoaxes, then the spread of issues related to sensitive matters such as Tribe, Religion, Race and Inter-Group (SARA), the practice of money politics to hate speech in the implementation of the 2024 simultaneous regional head elections (Pilkada).
The 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections present various challenges that have the potential to damage the implementation of regional-level democratic celebrations. The spread of hoaxes, SARA issues, money politics, and hate speech are crucial issues that can harm the integrity of the Regional Head Elections.
In facing the dynamics of local politics, the participation of all parties is very necessary to keep democracy running honestly and fairly. Since the beginning, various institutions and figures have highlighted the dangers of these problems and encouraged the public to be vigilant and actively prevent the spread of negative content that can worsen the situation.
Dumai City Police Community Development Unit Head, Ipda Agust R Simanjuntak, emphasized that the spread of fake news (hoaxes), money politics, and hate speech must be watched out for in the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections.
Agust reminded all parties to stick to the principles of healthy democracy and not be easily provoked by information with unclear sources. Ipda Agust emphasized the importance of the role of the community in filtering circulating information, especially on social media.
Hoaxes that have the potential to divide society must be prevented and ignored. By being wise in using social media, society can play an active role in maintaining social stability during the Pilkada.
In addition, Dumai City Police through the Nusantara Cooling System program also invites the public to reject all forms of money politics, which are considered not only to violate the law, but also to harm democratic values.
With this practice, people’s voting rights can be traded, which ultimately damages the integrity of the local political contest every five years. Therefore, education to the community continues to be carried out so that the community is aware of the dangers of money politics practices that only benefit a handful of parties.
Member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Taufiq R Abdullah, stated that the current digital era has flooded all levels of society with information. In the Regional Head Election event, digital literacy is one of the important aspects that needs to be considered.
However, the flood of information also presents new challenges for democracy. Taufiq explained that many people are often unable to filter the information they receive.
This is mainly because most of the information obtained is absorbed through shortcuts, without adequate clarification or fact-checking. This is further exacerbated by the rampant hoaxes circulating online.
Taufiq said many people are trapped into believing false information just because the source comes from someone they consider good or trustworthy. This phenomenon becomes even more dangerous when people do not have adequate ability to detect which information is true and which is misleading.
The challenge demands an increase in digital literacy in society so that they are more critical in dealing with information circulating in cyberspace. Thus, society can avoid the trap of hoax content that has the potential to trigger conflict during the Pilkada.
A digital literacy practitioner, R Wijaya Kusumawardhana, emphasized that politicization of SARA can damage social harmony. In addition to hoaxes, politicization of SARA issues is also a serious challenge that threatens the smooth running of the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections.
Excessive fanaticism and political pragmatism are often used by irresponsible parties to pit society against each other based on differences in ethnicity, religion, race, and class. This must be avoided, because it can cause horizontal conflict that will harm all parties.
Wijaya also highlighted the practice of money politics that is still rampant in regional democratic celebrations. He explained that vote buying transactions not only harm the integrity of the regional elections, but also damage the legitimacy of the elected candidates.
With the existence of money politics, voters no longer choose based on the vision and mission or ability of the candidate, but rather based on short-term financial gain. This condition will give rise to leaders who do not have the real capacity to lead, because they are not elected on the basis of pure public trust. Therefore, the public must dare to reject money politics and uphold the principles of clean democracy.
Hate speech spread through various social media platforms is also a threat to the creation of peaceful Regional Head Elections. Many parties use hate narratives to attack political opponents or spread dislike towards certain groups.
This has the potential to divide society and cause unwanted friction. In this case, the values of Pancasila as the foundation of the state must be upheld by all Indonesian people. Wijaya added that the noble values of the nation must be the main guide in politics, so that hate speech and negative content can be prevented effectively.
So far, security forces and various parties have taken real steps to minimize the negative impacts of the spread of hoaxes, SARA issues, money politics, and hate speech in the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections.
Security patrol activities, socialization to the community, and increasing digital literacy are expected to help create a conducive atmosphere during the Regional Head Election process. All parties must continue to play an active role in maintaining a healthy and dignified democracy.
By avoiding the spread of fake news, rejecting money politics, and not getting caught up in narratives of hatred or politicization of SARA issues, the 2024 Pilkada can take place peacefully and fairly. A society that is smart and wise in responding to information has an important role in creating a quality democracy.
)* The author is a contributor to Inti Media Institute