Religious Figures Play a Role in Inviting People to Avoid Identity Politics in the 2024 Election

Jakarta – Religious leaders urge the public to obey the rules during the 2024 General Election, and to avoid identity politics. The reason is, identity politics is dangerous because it widens differences among the people and has the potential to cause hostility. Elections should be held peacefully without any possibility of conflict due to campaigning with identity politics.

The 2024 election is in sight and the campaign period is just around the corner. The public is given a message to avoid identity politics, which is an action that highlights a particular ethnicity or identity. Identity politics should be replaced with political ideas that do not look at a person’s background.

The campaign period is a thrilling period because people see the promotion of presidential candidates (Capres) and parties in Indonesia. They are then waiting for the winning party and presidential candidates, because in 2024 Indonesia will have a new president.

But it’s a shame that during the campaign period what was present was identity politics. Where there are political actions that highlight certain backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. The issue of identity politics is feared to be increasing in society.

The issue of identity politics has attracted the attention of one of the DIY Islamic Mass Organization figures, namely Ustad Umar Said. He hopes that people can restrain themselves. That way, there will be no turmoil in the 2024 elections that could lead to divisions.

Ustad Umar Said stated that in fact the split could not be tolerated at any annual stage of the election. He hopes that no group or faction will bring up the issue of identity politics. Because it can lead to polarization in society.

Ustad Umar also hoped that there would be no presidential or legislative candidates campaigning using identity politics. All participants in the 2024 Election, so that they can act wisely when giving statements to the public. Don’t let this statement lead public opinion into divisions, and politicians must be able to control themselves.

In a sense, identity politics is dangerous because it is used as a wrong campaigning tool. Where a candidate shows his identity as a superior ethnicity/group, in the hope that it will attract the interest of voters of the same ethnicity. However, identity politics became a blunder because other tribes/groups felt they did not accept it and finally inflamed hostilities during the 2024 election campaign.

Identity politics is very dangerous because people who don’t share the same belief or ethnicity are enemies. It can even be used by a politician to bring down his political opponent. You do this by leading public opinion that a presidential candidate is unfit to be a leader because he comes from a certain ethnicity.

When there is a campaign that uses identity politics, it is dangerous because it can lead to discrimination and racism. There is a stereotype that thinks that presidential candidates who come from a certain ethnicity are stingy, emotional, etc. Even though those were just accusations that were not based on facts, and were made by provocateurs who wanted to disrupt the election period in Indonesia.

Identity politics can divide a nation because people are separated into several camps. There are those who defend certain presidential candidates who are considered religious, while there are those who love certain nationalist parties.

The excessive love for the presidential candidate, coupled with the identity politics used by his team, has made the people bicker and hostile, even after the election ended. Differences are normal and not to be disputed. But because of identity politics, differences cause conflict and undermine peace in Indonesia.

People must avoid identity politics if they want the 2024 elections to run smoothly. Don’t be taken in by the propaganda spread by provocateurs, who say that presidential candidates with certain ethnicities do not have the ability to lead Indonesia.

Meanwhile, KH Mahfudz Ali, stated that people must avoid identity politics. The reason is because the use of religious identity in practical politics has been proven to cause polarization in the midst of society which threatens unity and oneness.

H. Mahfudz Ali continued, society must avoid identity politics and prioritize national politics, moderation politics, and politics that are oriented to the benefit of the nation. Indonesia has a diversity of religions, cultures, ethnicities, languages ​​and other diversity that must be maintained by all elements of the nation. This diversity should not be damaged by identity politics.

It is time for political ideas to replace identity politics because identity politics is stale. In the era of reform and information technology, there is no link between ethnicity or a certain background with the ability to become a leader. What is seen is the idea and its embodiment to advance Indonesia.

For example, during the New Order era, there was an assumption that a leader must come from a certain presidential candidate or have experience in leading in a disciplined manner. Even though in the reform era it was proven that there were presidents who did not have these criteria, but succeeded in stabilizing Indonesia’s economic conditions after the monetary crisis.

Religious leaders urge the public to avoid identity politics ahead of the 2024 election campaign. Don’t let the campaign heat up because there is friction after the rolling out of identity politics issues that glorify certain ethnic groups or groups.