By: Adi Ginanjar *
Differences in political choice now seem increasingly threatening unity and unity. This five-year event is a hot topic that always triggers a variety of reactions both in cyberspace and in the real world. Almost every Election performance must be colored by the chaos of each of the supporters of the presidential candidate. But, stretching competition between supporters of each presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate has been felt since the 2014 Election. If you still remember, the 2014 General Election also caused a surprising reaction.
The difference in political choice at that time could be a heated topic of conversation both on social media and in everyday life. Not a few friends decide friendships on social media because of different political choices. This election is not much different. Election chaos feels more fun on social media. Each supporter of the presidential and vice presidential candidates blaspheme each other like not from the same nation. The question is, are all the heated debates really valuable?
The Politics of Identity Increases the Condition
The condition of the political world ahead of the 2019 Election is getting worse with the rise of identity politics. If you notice, many hoaxes and political issues that are associated with ethnicity, race and religion are increasingly circulating. For example supporters of partner B accuse partner A of not Islam. While supporters of partner A also accused partner B of not being Muslim or even a foreign stooge. Now, things like this that trigger divisions among the nation’s children.
Widespread divisions due to hoax provocation are quite dangerous for people’s perceptions and behavior. Although the Election event is only held every five years, the impact can be for years to come. Just try to observe, how many friends still feel hurt because the couple they support lost in the 2014 election? There are still many, right?
This condition is exacerbated by the attitude of the people who are still easy to accept such information and immediately consider it the truth without cross-checking first. This is certainly dangerous if left unchecked. Indonesia should reflect on other countries such as Syria, which until now are still in chaos due to power struggles with ISIS groups.
The condition of Indonesia can be more severe than Syria because Indonesia is more diverse. While Syria is a country with a monolithic ideology. So, don’t think what happened in Syria will not happen in Indonesia. Disunity can occur if it is not anticipated early.
A Young Nation
The threat of division in Indonesia is not only due to differences in political choices. Splits can also occur because the age of our country is still not yet a century old. So, it is not surprising that the threat to national unity and unity is still very large.
Buya Syafii Maarif once stated that the Indonesian nation is still in the process of becoming a nation. So, it hasn’t really become a nation because the formation of this nation was only unthinkable in the 1920s. This young age makes Indonesia vulnerable to the test of political events. For example, the split was very pronounced in the 2017 DKI Jakarta regional election. You can feel splits from the grass roots to the ends.
Development of Nationalism
Splits due to differences in political choice are compounded by the use of social media as a campaign venue. Not a few of our brothers are debating on Facebook and Twitter because they have different political choices and mutilate each other’s choices. Not a few hoax messages delivered through social media lead to chaos in the real world. Even if noted, the hashtags related to the 2019 Election are now ranked highest on Twitter.
Supposedly, social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can be a means of healthy political education rather than dividing. Political education and nationalism are naturally reintroduced in schools and in society. Indonesia must also learn from other countries such as Japan and South Korea which up to now still continue to foster the spirit of nationalism.
It would be better if we start leaving identity politics. This politics only divides the unity that has been maintained for decades. Indonesia is very diverse, not to be divided just because of different political choices. If you want to compete, compete in a healthy manner by presenting the vision and mission of each presidential candidate. Get to know the advantages and disadvantages of each presidential and vice presidential candidate. Choose candidates and vice president who truly actualize Pancasila values.
We also need to realize the Election event is only held once every five years. If it is not feasible to be the reason why we clash with ourselves. Do not let the brotherhood break after the election ends. So, different choices are okay, but still respect each other. After all, in fact we choose the best nation leaders who fight for the interests of their people. Whoever is chosen later, yes that is the best leader from the present.
- The author is a Contributor to the Indonesian Strategic Information Study Institute (LSISI)
