By: Lukman Keenan Adar )*
One of the gifts for Indonesia is the diversity of ethnicities, cultures and languages that other nations do not have. Even though each region has a different language and is separated by islands and seas, all Indonesian people can understand Indonesian which is the language of unity. Therefore, it should be, the difference in political choices does not make us divided. Precisely elections should be a momentum to maintain unity.
Narratives of division that result in polarization must, of course, be avoided. All political elites and civil society must jointly maintain national unity in the upcoming 2024 elections.
Efforts that can be made to maintain unity are the Declaration of Religious Peace echoed by various religious leaders in Indonesia, this declaration is of course a positive step to re-knit national unity which was torn apart due to polarization in the 2019 election. society is polarized to the point of creating wounds that have not even dried up to now.
Ujang Komarudin as a political observer said that religious leaders should and should take a role in maintaining conduciveness ahead of the 2024 elections, one of which is to do their job to invite religious people to obey laws, as well as obey religious rules. Moreover, religious rules also prohibit dividing the nation. Precisely Religion also recommends keeping this country safe, peaceful and serene.
The observer who is also a lecturer at Al-Azhar University also said that the Declaration of Religious Peace is a momentum to hold all parties together. Not only religious leaders to continue to maintain harmony in the midst of differences, including differences in political views.
He said that in the future the nation’s children must be solid in the context of maintaining national unity. Because the task of maintaining unity is not only the task of religious leaders, but also the task of all Indonesian people.
On a different occasion, SOE Minister Erick Thohir stressed the importance of maintaining national unity ahead of the 2024 elections. This was conveyed by Erick during a working visit to Nias Island, North Sumatra. Erick said that the unity that binds us to become a nation that is intact and recognized cannot be harmed by political competition.
The momentum leading up to the election is felt to be the right time to hold hands with each other and maintain the values that can unite the Indonesian people. The value of unity, according to Erick, is something fundamental and cannot be sacrificed just for something temporary, namely power. He also hopes that the majority and minorities can embrace each other, reminding again that the foundations of Indonesian nationality are in the right direction. In fact, according to him, many other nations in the world have studied from the Indonesian nation.
He said, do not let the election which is held five years actually divide society. Even though Indonesia has gone through various series of elections and changes in leadership.
Meanwhile, interfaith leaders hope that the 2024 elections can take place without causing negative impacts, such as destroying the brotherhood of fellow citizens simply because of differences in political choices. Don’t let the 2024 election lead to the tearing of the brotherhood that has been built.
Quality elections are of course absolutely necessary in order to build democratic civilization in Indonesia so that it is more advanced. In the implementation of elections, people must be able to respond to differences in politics. This includes understanding when to compete and when to compete.
MPR Chairperson Puan Maharani believes that the political year in Indonesia has come early. According to Puan, this can be seen from the discussion on the national leadership succession which has become a topic on social media to coffee shops throughout Indonesia. He also admitted that he was happy to see this because it showed Indonesian people who were mature in dealing with different political choices.
Puan also invited all people in Indonesia to build a joint commitment to carry out democratic parties safely, peacefully, joyfully and without dividing the unity and integrity of the nation. Related to that, Puan also said that people’s participation in a democratic country must be opened as widely as possible.
According to him, the state must ensure that the space for people’s participation can be well organized and not limited, including providing space for women’s articulation in all fields. Puan believes that the inclusion of women in every position should not be merely an affirmative policy, but must be carried out with an awareness of respect for human dignity.
Elections are a democratic party for all Indonesian people, don’t let the existence of this 5-year event actually trigger heated debates just because of different choices. On the other hand, SARA politics must also be avoided, because seen from any point of view, spreading the issue of SARA and religion is something that is not elegant, because the politicization of SARA is something that has the potential to divide unity.
)* The author is a contributor to Persada Institute
