By: Haikal Fathan Akbar )*
Building synergy together from all related parties, starting from interfaith leaders, cross-ethnic leaders and also cross-community organizations is indeed an important strategy to be able to continue to be implemented in order to be able to avoid the practice of identity politics and also the politicization of religion at home. worship during the 2024 elections.
The Rembang Resort Police (Polres) together with the Rembang Regency Religious Communication Forum (FKUB), Central Java Province (Central Java) held an interfaith gathering event. Of course, with this gathering, the main thing is to continue to maintain security and order in society so that a conducive situation is always created, especially ahead of the current political year.
In an effort to continue to create conduciveness in the midst of society in facing the democratic party and political contestation of the General Election (Election) in 2024, the Head of the Community Development Unit (Kasat Binmas), Suko Diyarto considers that it is very important that there is cooperation from the security forces including The Indonesian National Police (Polri), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) with the Religious Extension Service to continue to provide guidance to the whole community ahead of the Election.
The reason is, if community guidance is to always maintain the conduciveness of the area, for example, it is only carried out by one party and certain institutions, then of course there will be limited capabilities, so indeed coordination and integration must really continue to be pursued so that it is well established.
Therefore, all elements from various sectors of the institution must be able to continue to strive for situations and conditions that cool the atmosphere in society and also in the midst of increasingly heated competition for political contestation within the framework of the 2024 General Election.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Rembang Regency FKUB, KH Athoillah Muslim said that there was an urgency from all religious leaders ahead of the democratic party which is held every 5 (five) years.
How could it not be, the article is the urgency of all interfaith leaders because the implementation of the 2024 elections cannot be separated from the many competing interests in it. Of course, this interest is to be able to seek power over the bureaucracy and so on.
For this reason, by holding elections that are full of practical political interests, leaders from across religions must be able to read the situation correctly so that they can also make a contribution in the form of a real contribution and together in society, namely by having a solution that conveyed to the ears of the public.
It is also an open secret that every time a political contest is held in Indonesia, propaganda and programs from election participants will certainly continue to be offered to the public through various media platforms, including social media and the internet.
Even though on social media or the internet as well as the digital space itself, in fact, everyone has their own ability to be able to create their own narrative, which doesn’t matter whether the narrative is fake news or hoax, and also, for example, the narrative is true news. with what happened in the field and supported by concrete facts.
The aim of election participants to continue to propagate their discourses and programs, of course, also aims to be able to attract more and more public sympathizers in order to gain votes from the people and win their side to occupy seats in office.
Precisely because of the vulnerability of propaganda on social media, people should be obliged to continue to increase their self-awareness, especially when dealing with issues and practices of identity politics that may continue to be applied by participants in the democratic party.
It is also undeniable that the practice of identity politics through the politicization of places of worship is a very dangerous thing. The reason is that it will not only be able to continue to clash against certain religious groups such as the majority against minorities, but even between members of one religion there is a possibility and can trigger a split in society so that it seriously threatens the spirit of unity and integrity in the territory of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). ).
The bad potentials that are very likely to arise as a negative impact of the practice of identity politics and also the politicization of the house of worship are indeed things that should be watched out for together.
In other words, the practice of religious politics as well as the politicization of places of worship should be able to be firmly rejected, watched out for, prevented and avoided by all elements of the nation. One of the efforts and strategies in realizing this is to build solid synergy with all parties across religions, ethnicities and community organizations.
)* The author is a Vimedia Pratama Institute Contributor
