By: Azaruhdin *
On September 1, 1939, Germany carried out an attack on Polish territory, which was the beginning of the outbreak of World War II. And Germany, then led by Adolf Hitler, argued that the attack occurred because Poland first invaded Germany, the day before. But do we know the real facts behind the German attack on Poland at the time? The origin is the news Hoaks!
A German SS General, Alfred Naujocks alias Hans Muller, led 6 of his officers to disguise themselves as Polish rebel forces. They kidnapped a farmer named Franciszek Honiok, tortured him, and took him to a German radio station that borders Poland directly, precisely in the Gliwice area.
From the radio station, Naujocks and his undercover colleagues announced that the Polish army had taken control of the radio station, and planned to invade German territory as the next target. Hearing this news, Hitler was furious and ordered his “Nazi” troops to immediately invade Poland. War was inevitable, and the German-Polish war was the beginning of the second world war in Europe at that time.
Muslims in Egypt have also felt the impact of the Hoax that whacked them. The main trigger is Israel. At that time, Israel was worried about the intimacy established by the Egyptian government under Gamal Abdul Nasser, with the United States and Britain. Especially at that time, Gamal Abdul Nasser was so close to Queen Elizabeth II and invited him to be involved in a joint security operation, the busiest canal in the world, the Suez Canal.
Israel is concerned that Egypt-US-British relations will eventually get rid of Israel as their main ally in the Arab region. Seeing this, Israel took sneaky action, by blowing up bombs in several US and British targets in Egypt. Afterwards, Israel spread the Hoax by stating that the bombing was carried out by Egyptian Muslim groups, who were unhappy at the Egyptian government’s cooperation with the United States and Britain.
Gamal Abdul Nasser’s painstaking relationship with the US and Britain was immediately tense and tenuous. Obviously, because the US and Britain did not accept and believe that those who carried out the bombing were the actions of Egyptian Muslims.
And not just the two facts above, Hoax is indeed so powerful to create disputes that lead to war and division, both in a group to between countries. And in fact, it seems as if the hoax cannot be lost from our lives, because it is considered to be the most effective ‘weapon’ and the last resort, to smooth a mission to be achieved, even though its spreaders understand that it is unlawful and divisive.
Can we be free from hoaxes?
We may already understand the definition of Hoax, which is a hoax which is intentionally spread by certain individuals, to smooth out personal and group interests. No matter what the impact of the false news that is spread, as long as its original purpose, whether it is political affairs, or economic interests, can be realized. The distribution also varies, by word of mouth, chain messages, and social media. It’s not hard to find hoax news circulating in the midst of society today, let alone the onslaught of technology that is not accompanied by the quality of its human resources, as well as minimal interest in reading and exploring information. Hoax is so rampant that it often triggers disputes in the midst of community life.
Not only in political and economic affairs, hoaxes also often afflict world celebrities, such as Artists. Even some artists are willing to spread hoax news, in order to increase popularity which is increasingly declining. And worse, there are still many Indonesian people who accept the hoax and consider it a fact.
In the last few years, disunity has almost occurred in the midst of the lives of Indonesian people, due to the hoax news circulating related to the nation’s political issues. Only in the interest of certain groups who want to rule, they have the heart to spread hoaxes, create “chaos” in the midst of our society, so it is easier to find scapegoats from problems that arise, and the path to power is easier. And the lack of interest in reading Indonesian people in search of factual information about a news received, causes hoax consumption to continue to occur. Social media is the most commonly used means for spreading false news, to smooth the action.
Luckily, the Indonesian Police were able to move quickly to arrest some hoax spreaders who had been troubling the public. Which almost caused divisions in the midst of Indonesian society. Of course it is still fresh in mind, how the Police managed to uncover hoax spreaders such as the Saracens, Piyungan Portal, Obor Rakyat Magazine, and individuals. Their goals are the same, spreading false news, so that people hate certain parties that are considered opponents.
Our society is almost divided, SARA hoaxes echoed by irresponsible people, almost succeeded in triggering a civil war in Indonesia. Luckily, we have Pancasila as a solid state foundation, as a benchmark for the Indonesian nation, why do we have to maintain national unity and integrity, amidst the constant onslaught of hoaxes, until finally we pass through the hot political temperature of this nation in fine condition.
However, we must not be lulled by our success through the obstacles of such a large hoax ahead of the Election that is over, because the hoax will never die, and the spreaders will never stop before their goals are achieved. We must remain vigilant, and be even braver to speak the truth and get rid of hoaxes from our lives. And right this month, a month that is so historic and proud for all the people of Indonesia, namely August as the Independence month of our nation from colonialism, we must continue to sound the spirit of eradicating hoaxes. The spirit of independence must continue to live in order to free our nation from hoaxes which are increasingly rampant.
If at the time of seizing independence, the fighters vowed that there was no more occupation on Indonesian earth, then at this time, we must pledge that there is no place for hoaxes in the midst of Indonesian people’s lives. Indonesian people must unite, guard a clean, fair and prosperous government, for the sake of an advanced Indonesia. The community must also participate in suppressing hoaxes that could hinder the progress of the nation, at least in the second period of President Joko Widodo’s administration, so that we have a strong foundation as a nation, where hoaxes will not exist or are no longer able to shake the ideals of this nation into a nation who advanced on all fronts. And with these tests, for each subsequent period of government, we are no longer easily affected by hoax news, not easily provoked by news that does not match the actual facts. And Indonesian society has truly become an independent society in all aspects of life, including independence from the Hoax.
We have Pancasila as the philosophy of life of the Indonesian people, Religion as Identity, and Culture as national identity, which are ready to become the main strongholds in fighting the Hoax that threatens the integrity of the Republic of Indonesia. And with the spirit of Indonesian independence, and on the 74th day of independence of the Indonesian people this year, we should continue to maintain that spirit, for the realization of prosperity, equitable development, and progress of the Indonesian nation. Independent!
Luckily, the Indonesian Police were able to move quickly to arrest some hoax spreaders who had been troubling the public. Which almost caused divisions in the midst of Indonesian society. Of course it is still fresh in mind, how the Police managed to uncover hoax spreaders such as the Saracens, Piyungan Portal, Obor Rakyat Magazine, and individuals. Their goals are the same, spreading false news, so that people hate certain parties that are considered opponents.
Our society is almost divided, SARA hoaxes echoed by irresponsible people, almost succeeded in triggering a civil war in Indonesia. Luckily, we have Pancasila as a solid state foundation, as a benchmark for the Indonesian nation, why do we have to maintain national unity and integrity, amidst the constant onslaught of hoaxes, until finally we pass through the hot political temperature of this nation in fine condition.
However, we must not be lulled by our success through the obstacles of such a large hoax ahead of the Election that is over, because the hoax will never die, and the spreaders will never stop before their goals are achieved. We must remain vigilant, and be even braver to speak the truth and get rid of hoaxes from our lives. And right this month, a month that is so historic and proud for all the people of Indonesia, namely August as the Independence month of our nation from colonialism, we must continue to sound the spirit of eradicating hoaxes. The spirit of independence must continue to live in order to free our nation from hoaxes which are increasingly rampant.
If at the time of seizing independence, the fighters vowed that there was no more occupation on Indonesian earth, then at this time, we must pledge that there is no place for hoaxes in the midst of Indonesian people’s lives. Indonesian people must unite, guard a clean, fair and prosperous government, for the sake of an advanced Indonesia. The community must also participate in suppressing hoaxes that could hinder the progress of the nation, at least in the second period of President Joko Widodo’s administration, so that we have a strong foundation as a nation, where hoaxes will not exist or are no longer able to shake the ideals of this nation into a nation who advanced on all fronts. And with these tests, for each subsequent period of government, we are no longer easily affected by hoax news, not easily provoked by news that does not match the actual facts. And Indonesian society has truly become an independent society in all aspects of life, including independence from the Hoax.
We have Pancasila as the philosophy of life of the Indonesian people, Religion as Identity, and Culture as national identity, which are ready to become the main strongholds in fighting the Hoax that threatens the integrity of the Republic of Indonesia. And with the spirit of Indonesian independence, and on the 74th day of independence of the Indonesian people this year, we should continue to maintain that spirit, for the realization of prosperity, equitable development, and progress of the Indonesian nation. Independent!
*) Social media activists
