By: Arsenio Bagas Pamungkas )*
The issue of security is quite vital, especially ahead of the 2024 General Election (Pemilu). Threats such as terrorism and acts of radicalism can occur, so security forces from the TNI, POLRI and BIN must remain vigilant against the movements of radical groups who wish to disrupt the holding of the 2024 elections.
The National Police said that acts of terrorism are still a threat to the course of the 2024 elections. This threat still has similarities with the elections that were held in 2019. Therefore, the Special Anti-terror Detachment 88 of the National Police continues to carry out preventive strikes to prevent criminal acts of terrorism. This is intended for optimal security in the election process later.
Listyo Sigit Prabowo as the National Police Chief firmly said that the polarization of society in political contestation should no longer occur. Sigit hopes that all parties can learn from the polarization that occurred in the 2019 election, the impact of which is felt to this day.
The former Banten Regional Police Chief also described the conditions that would be faced during the 2024 general election and simultaneous elections, where there were very many voters, the election time was close together, the electoral district spanned a wide range and geographical conditions were very diverse. So that the potential for anxiety also varies, starting from election organizers who experience fatigue, election logistics not arriving at all TPS locations, to polarization and division.
Listyo is also trying to prevent terrorism ahead of the 2024 election organizers by using the soft to hard approach. The soft approach itself is a soft approach, while the hard approach is an effort to take legal action such as ambushes and arrests. This method has been used when securing international events such as the ASEAN Summit and the G20.
This method was used to comply with the directives of the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, in which Jokowi wanted the elections to run safely and there would be no explosions in any form. So that in the election year of course this method can be used.
The National Police Chief also emphasized the importance of coaching ex-convicts with related parties. This needs to be done in order to prevent acts of terrorism so as not to interfere with the 2024 election process. In approaching and coaching ex-convicts, of course the Police need cooperation with religious leaders to continue to take moderation steps. So that this understanding can be prevented from leading to actions that interfere with the election process.
The same thing was conveyed by the TNI Commander, Admiral Yudo Margono. According to him, the collaboration between the TNI and Polri continues to be solid, especially ahead of the upcoming 2024 elections. His party also admitted that they would continue to work together to support security during the lead-up to and holding of the 2024 elections.
Meanwhile, the Security Intelligence Agency (Baintelkam), Polri is paying special attention to eight issues that could trigger security disturbances during the 2024 elections. One of them is the issue of terrorism.
Brig. terror still exists.
Previously, Wawan Hari Purwanto as a terrorism observer said that as many as 85 percent of the millennial generation in Indonesia were vulnerable to exposure to radicalism. According to him, 85 percent of young people can be ensnared by radicalism, which is currently widely spread through social media.
According to him, social media has indeed been considered as one of the incubators of radicalism. Especially radicalism that targets young people, both intellectual youth and ordinary youth. Of course, this condition should be of concern to all parties, especially since the figure of 85% is not a small number. This will certainly be a threat to Indonesia in the future. Even though the number of voters from millennials is very large.
This of course requires concrete action from the security forces so that radical ideology can be suppressed and not implemented into actions that are detrimental to many parties. The younger generation should be able to think critically and be ready to strengthen Pancasila values, not necessarily be trapped by ideologies that conflict with Pancasila values.
Radical movements are very likely to emerge ahead of the election, especially if you look at the data presented, where many millennials have been exposed to radical views. So it is very important for security forces to be involved in surveillance in digital spaces that are accessed by many young people, especially the millennial generation.
Security in holding elections is an absolute thing to maintain the spirit of democracy. POLRI, TNI, BIN and all parties involved in the 2024 elections must be involved in efforts to secure elections for the sake of creating a democratic party that is safe, peaceful and with integrity.
)* The author is a contributor to Persada Institute
