By: Maya Naura Lingga )*
The 2024 election must be held peacefully. The presidential election is an important moment to choose a candidate for Indonesia’s leader. The community supports peaceful elections and is not triggered by provocations and hoaxes on social media.
General elections (Pemilu) will be held in 2024 but must be prepared from now so that later it will go well. The community plays a major role in creating peaceful elections and supports the government, KPU and all other parties. Peace must be maintained so that elections can take place smoothly without riots or even bloodshed.
Election is a grand event that is held every 5 years and the people are waiting for it with enthusiasm, because they want to get a new leader candidate. Since the reform era, Indonesian citizens have been freed to choose their own presidential candidate, not the same as in the past, choosing parties and candidates. Elections are thrilling events because the results can be beyond predictions.
Vice President KH Ma’ruf Amin stated that experience has taught us that the moment of holding elections is a time when national unity is tested. Society has the potential to be polarized due to the heat of political tension. Therefore, unification of steps is needed so that the implementation of the upcoming 2024 elections does not cause tension and potential conflicts in society.
The Vice President continued, he did not want to repeat the bad experience of the past elections (2014 and 2019). The community must be unanimous and take steps together so that the 2024 Election becomes a safe, peaceful and quality election.
In a sense, the election is a tense moment because it is prone to divisions and there could be 2 or even 3 different camps, because they defend different presidential candidates. However, people are expected to remain peaceful even if they choose a presidential candidate or a different party.
Indonesia is a democracy and differences in political choices are commonplace. Do not because of defending a different party the people become enemies with each other. Tensions in society must be removed because Indonesia must stand in the midst of unity, even though the political choices of its people are different.
The vice president’s concern is very reasonable because if you reflect on the 2014 and 2019 elections, people are fighting, especially on social media. Moreover, both sides issued calls with very impolite words. The people are asked not to repeat the same mistake and are determined to maintain election peace.
The public is also urged not to be influenced by the actions of provocateurs who want to divide the nation. Do not just because of hoaxes on social media eventually result in a heated Election and turn into a battlefield.
War in cyberspace is also dangerous because it can spread in the real world. When there are parties who are offended, there will be brawls that result in injuries and destruction of public facilities. Society certainly does not want this bad thing to happen. Therefore they ensure that elections are always peaceful without any friction between supporters of certain parties.
Meanwhile, Politician Surya Paloh stated that all elements of society must oversee the Election and maintain its peace. This event requires everyone’s attention. In addition to maintaining peace, the community must be enthusiastic and participatory in the 2024 elections. Don’t be ignorant and abstain from voting (white group), aka not exercising their rights in choosing presidential and legislative candidates.
Surya Paloh continued, the community, religious leaders, and political elites must play a role so that there is no election residue that creates hostility and hatred, thus harming the state. If the political elites make peace and stay in touch with each other, the community will follow them.
In a sense, society can play a major role in creating peaceful elections. Elections are an event to choose leaders and candidates for new legislation. Do not make it a place of war or fierce hostilities because you are too supportive of a particular political party or presidential candidate.
The community also has a high commitment to maintaining peace in the upcoming 2024 elections. They also work closely with Banwaslu as the official state institution that oversees the smooth running of elections, both before and after the voting period. With this collaboration, it is hoped that the election will run peacefully without any obstacles at all.
The people want the election to take place peacefully because this event is very prone to friction. The cause is due to excessive fanaticism of certain political parties or presidential candidates which can lead to brawls, both in the real world and in cyberspace. If traditional leaders declare peaceful elections, their citizens will follow them and they will continue to maintain peace, even if they support a different presidential candidate.
The public realizes that support is needed for presidential candidates and parties to win elections. However, support does not mean that it is permissible to insult other parties, let alone offend SARA (ethnicity, religion, race and intergroup).
The community plays an important role in participating in maintaining peace during the upcoming 2024 elections. During the campaign period, the election period, until the calm period, the Indonesian people continued to try to maintain unity and not be influenced by provocateurs. Peace and unity must be maintained so that the election can run without any problems.
)* The author is a contributor to Nusantara Reading Room
