By: Maya Naura Lingga )*
Voting that is carried out by all people in Indonesia who are active in carrying out their political participation, is actually very capable of bringing about a change in Indonesia. Precisely those who do Abstentions will not change anything at all and also cannot affect the final result of the 2024 Election.
The movement not to vote or commonly referred to as the white group (Golput) in a general election contestation (Election) is indeed a scourge for the smooth functioning of the system and principles of democracy in Indonesia. This sometimes even continues to be supported by the many issues that continue to spread very rapidly on social media, in line with the progress of the digital space as it is today.
It cannot be denied that there is indeed a lot of information dissemination which is even very massive on various social media which is very easy for anyone to access, especially the younger generation of the nation’s successors who are indeed much more literate and understand the use of digital space.
However, precisely with the continued existence of a lot of hoax information that is spreading on social media and being able to infect the younger generation, this makes the younger generation very vulnerable to being consumed by hoax issues around the 2024 Election, including information about the candidates running for election. election.
So, they will also be very vulnerable to abstaining with the excuse that it seems as if there is absolutely no good candidate that fits their standards and criteria, even though in reality they are just victims of the many negative issues and hoax news that are attacking each other in the media. social.
Research shows that the younger generation, or what is also commonly referred to as Gen Z, is even able to spend their daily time for more than 8 (eight) hours a day exploring in digital space or in the cyber world.
Of course, with this very long roaming time, they will be very vulnerable to be exposed to any information that might spread on social media, including for example, that there is a hoax information that makes them even less interested in participating in the whole series of democratic parties in the upcoming 2024 election.
Even though in fact they really want to see changes in this nation for the better in the future, but with the act of actually not choosing this at all, then it’s the same as the changes they aspire to cannot be carried out and will only be wishful thinking. .
Discussing the phenomenon of the white class movement, an expert on Indonesian politics, Eep Saefulloh Fatah stated that actually the Abstentions themselves are divided into 2 (two), the first is technical Abstentions and the second is political Abstentions.
Technical abstentions usually occur when the votes from the Fixed Voters List (DPT) cannot be channeled due to certain technical reasons. Meanwhile, political Abstentions itself is an event where voters feel that they are not suitable with the choices provided or simply do not believe that the election will be able to bring about change.
The distrust they have, especially from the younger generation of voters, is usually due to the consumption of information from social media, where the information is clearly hoax.
Even now, the phenomenon of the white class movement still has the potential to become a polemic at the time of the 2024 General Election. Usually it is widely misunderstood by the public, who seem to think that the Abstentions action is a way to express themselves regarding certain political issues and they feel very freedom of opinion because Indonesia is a democratic country.
Abstentions should not be normalized at all because in fact it will tarnish the ideals of the Indonesian nation itself. Especially when the people deliberately do not participate in elections and even invite other people to make the same movement. This is actually an attitude of an irresponsible citizen.
What’s more, actually conducting Abstentions itself is not a wise choice to make because in the end it is precisely with the movement to carry out the white group, they will not be considered at all and cannot be included in the final count or will not change anything at all in the implementation of the upcoming 2024 elections. So that the desired changes will not be realized at all.
The final results of the 2024 elections will still be there because they are calculated from the calculation of the number of votes from the people or citizens who are responsible and really want changes in Indonesia with real work, namely carrying out voting in the elections. Precisely those who carry out Abstentions will not change any final outcome in this political contest, because in fact it is voting that will bring about change.
)* The author is a contributor to Nusantara Reading Room
