Media and Students Play an Important Role in the Success of the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections
By : Miya Dewi )*
The 2024 Simultaneous Pilkada is an important milestone for democracy in Indonesia. The role of the media and students in monitoring this process cannot be ignored. With the active involvement of the media and students, we can ensure that the regional elections are transparent and fair.
The media acts as a transmitter of accurate information, while students, with their idealism, become critical participatory monitors. This collaboration is the key to creating clean elections with integrity.
Regarding this matter, the North Kalimantan Bawaslu together with the media and students in Tarakan have consolidated and united perceptions in realizing the 2024 Pilkada. This is not just a formality event, but rather a call for all parties to play an active role in supervising the 2024 Pilkada. The media and students are expected to be able to be the eyes and ears of the community, speak the truth, and maintain the integrity of elections. Bawaslu North Kalimantan, through the Coordinator of the Prevention, Community Participation and Public Relations Division, Arif Rahman, emphasized the importance of collaboration with the media in monitoring elections.
According to Arif Rahman, the media has a unique ability to provide information to the public about Bawaslu’s performance, especially regarding the 2024 Pilkada. High public participation can be achieved if the media is able to disseminate accurate and educational information. This consolidation was held simultaneously in 38 provinces, with North Kalimantan being the 27th province to hold this event. This shows how serious Bawaslu is in involving the media throughout Indonesia. The main function of the media in this context is to convey information related to the work of election observers, with the aim of creating peaceful elections and in accordance with democratic principles.
Not only the media, the role of students is also recognized as an important element in election supervision. Students, with their idealism and youthful enthusiasm, are expected to become active, participative supervisors. Through their involvement, it is hoped that there will be tighter and more thorough supervision, ensuring that every stage of the election runs honestly and transparently.
The General Election Commission (KPU) of South Papua Province also called for an active role for the media in making the 2024 Pilkada a success. By holding a media gathering, the KPU is trying to build close communication with members of the press. They emphasized how important the role of the media is in socializing every stage of the election, starting from launching the Pilkada stages to recapitulating the vote count results.
The South Papua KPU realizes that without the help of the media, it is difficult for information regarding the election stages to reach the wider community, especially in remote areas. Therefore, they hope that the media can continue to support the dissemination of information and encourage voter participation. This collaboration not only benefits the KPU, but also the public who receive clear and correct information.
Awareness of the importance of synergy between the media and election organizers is reflected in the statement by the South Papua KPU Commissioner, Daniel Ndiwaen. He emphasized that the experience of previous elections shows how big a contribution the media has made to the success of this democratic process. With information reaching remote areas, voter participation increased significantly. This proves that the media is an important bridge between election organizers and the public.
The South Papua KPU also continues to strive to build good synergy with the media through media gatherings. They want to ensure that every information related to the election stages is conveyed precisely and accurately. It is also hoped that this collaboration can create refreshing news and provide education to the public, so that they will be more enthusiastic about participating in the 2024 Pilkada.
At the same event, the Secretary of the South Papua Province KPU, Jimmy Winarta, appreciated journalistic work in disseminating information about the election agenda. He emphasized that the KPU really needs mass media to assist in disseminating information to the public. On the other hand, members of the press need open information from the KPU regarding the election agenda and stages to be conveyed to the public. This is a mutually beneficial symbiosis and must continue to be maintained.
Yuliana CH. Handayani, as Head of the Planning, Data and Information Section of the South Papua KPU Secretariat, said that synergy between the KPU and the mass media is very important. The media is expected to be able to create good and professional information without any elements of conflict, so that the public can understand and participate in the 2024 regional elections with full awareness.
Mass media has a big role in shaping public opinion. With objective and educational reporting, the media can help increase public awareness of the importance of participating in elections. It’s not just about reporting results, but also about providing an in-depth understanding of the election process, the challenges faced, and how every vote really matters.
Meanwhile, students also have great potential in supervising the 2024 regional elections. With the knowledge and idealism they have, students can become critical and objective supervisors. They can be involved in a variety of monitoring activities, from observing the voting process to reporting violations. In this way, they not only learn about democracy in theory, but also practice it in reality.
It is important for all of us, including the media, students and the general public, to realize how important our role is in making the 2024 regional elections a success. Let us join hands, collaborate and actively participate in every stage.
The media must continue to speak the truth, students must remain idealistic and critical, and the community must actively participate. In this way, we can ensure that the 2024 Pilkada will run peacefully, honestly and fairly.
)* The author is a Contributor to the Nusantara Reading Room
