Soon the Indonesian people will hold the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) which will take place in all regions in the country. One of the main hopes for the 2024 regional elections is the high level of community participation. General Election Commission (KPU) data shows a trend of increasing voter participation in previous elections, and it is hoped that this trend will continue. A high level of participation is a positive indicator that shows that people are increasingly aware of the importance of their role in determining the direction of regional development.
It is hoped that outreach efforts carried out by the KPU and various related institutions can increase this participation. Massive voter education campaigns, both through social media, television and direct activities in the field, are the key to increasing public awareness and participation. Apart from that, it is also hoped that easy access to information and transparency in the election process will encourage the public to participate actively.
The main concern in every election is the potential for conflict and security disturbances. Therefore, the 2024 regional elections must show that the democratic process can run peacefully. The active role of security forces, both from the police and TNI, is very important in ensuring security and order during all stages of the election. Apart from that, community participation in maintaining a conducive situation is also highly expected. Various communities and community organizations can play a role in overseeing the regional elections by holding activities aimed at maintaining unity and integrity.
The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, appealed to all elements of society to participate in creating a safe and peaceful 2024 Simultaneous Regional Election. Political stability, law and security are the main keys that must be maintained together, because they will greatly influence all stages of the regional elections. Moreover, 2024 will be a historic year in the implementation of regional elections because it will be held simultaneously in 37 provinces, 415 districts and 93 cities. This will increase the risk of misinformation and socio-political polarization which could hamper the democratic process, because each region will have a candidate who is fanatically supported by his supporters.
According to the KPU’s statement, not all provinces and districts/cities will carry out simultaneous regional elections in 2024. In the 2024 regional elections, voting will only be held in 37 provinces and 508 districts/cities throughout Indonesia. For example, DI Yogyakarta Province did not participate in voting for the gubernatorial election. This is stated in Law Number 13 of 2012 concerning the Specialties of DIY, where Article 18 Paragraph 1 letter c states that the Governor of DIY is held by someone who is enthroned as Sultan Hamengku Buwono and the position of Deputy Governor of Yogyakarta is held by someone who is enthroned as Duke Paku Alam. Then, the 2024 Simultaneous Pilkada for districts/cities does not apply to the DKI Jakarta province area.
To ensure the success of the 2024 regional elections, it is also very important to pay attention to the important role of various elements of the nation. Just like the KPU as the election organizer, together with supervisors such as the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) and the Election Organizer Honorary Council (DKPP), must be neutral, have integrity and guarantee the right to vote for every citizen.
The central and regional governments must of course support and facilitate the implementation of the 2024 Pilkada, including creating public order and ensuring an adequate budget. Meanwhile, political parties and candidate pairs must commit to fair election procedures and mechanisms and avoid fraud. It is also true that community, religious and traditional leaders are also monitoring the stages of the 2024 regional elections and are not easily provoked by unverified information.
Commander of Korem (Danrem) 132/Tadulako, Brigadier General Dody Triwinarto, also invited all elements of society to play an active role in creating a safe and peaceful situation ahead of the 2024 regional head elections (Pilkada). He stressed that the Pilkada is an important moment in Indonesian democracy and all parties must play an active role in ensuring this process runs safely, peacefully and orderly.
Meanwhile, the East Java Regional Police and media crew held a Declaration of Safe and Peaceful Regional Elections. It is hoped that this declaration will strengthen the relationship between the police and the media, so that conducive social security and order can continue to be maintained.
The Deputy Chief of East Java Regional Police, Brigadier General Ahmad Yusep Gunawan, invited the media crew and all elements of society to continue to maintain a conducive atmosphere in order to realize a safe and peaceful Simultaneous Regional Election. All parties are reminded to maintain the conduciveness that has been maintained and anticipate various parties who try to do negative things or worsen the atmosphere.
Once again, it is hoped that the community will not be easily provoked by various potential disturbances that may arise or attempts to divide the harmony and tolerance that has been built so far. If they find indications that could disrupt the running of the regional elections, the public should report their security concerns to the authorities.
The 2024 regional elections are also expected to reflect the diversity in Indonesian democracy. Of the 37 provinces that will hold elections, it is hoped that there will be many candidates with diverse backgrounds. This shows that Indonesian democracy is becoming more inclusive and provides opportunities for various levels of society to participate in politics.
This diversity also needs to be seen in the increasing composition of female candidates. Even though it has not yet reached the ideal proportion, women’s participation in politics is expected to show a positive trend. This is a step forward in efforts to achieve gender equality in politics.
The success of the 2024 regional elections is a hope for the future of democracy in Indonesia. The democratic process, which is expected to run smoothly and peacefully, shows that Indonesia is increasingly mature in implementing a democratic system. People who are increasingly aware of the importance of political participation, as well as election organizers who are increasingly professional, are important assets for the progress of Indonesian democracy. However, there is still a lot of homework. There needs to be continuous efforts, such as strengthening digital literacy to ward off hoaxes and increasing transparency and accountability in election administration. In this way, Indonesian democracy can continue to develop and provide greater benefits for all of society.
It is hoped that the 2024 regional elections which will be held in 37 provinces will be clear evidence that Indonesian democracy is moving in a better direction. The election agenda, which has so far run smoothly and peacefully, is the result of the hard work of all elements of society, election organizers, security forces and the government. This success will certainly be a strong foundation towards the D-day of the 2024 regional elections and subsequent elections, as well as encouraging the creation of better regional government that is responsive to the needs of the community.
