UPH Legal Expert Emrus Sihombing: Identity Politics Undermines Democracy and Is Incompatible with Pancasila
Jakarta – The 2024 Election Democracy Party is right in front of our eyes, and it is the duty of all elements of the nation to always create a conducive and healthy democratic climate so that the democratic party does not actually become an arena to divide the harmony that has existed between people and threaten the stability of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
A member of the Indonesian Election Supervisory Body, Lolly Suhenty, revealed that in the Election Law it is clear that what should not be done in a campaign is insulting based on ethnicity, religion and race, inciting, pitting against each other or suggesting violence.
“In the current context when talking about identity politics, the politicization of identity is not allowed, because usually there is content of pitting one against the other,” he explained.
Meanwhile, a legal expert at Pelita Harapan University, Emrus Sihombing, said those who voiced identity politics were a group of people, to provide support to certain political forces or candidate pairs.
“Unfortunately, the candidate pairs did not refuse and instead let it happen. They should reject all identity politics that are inconsistent with Pancasila ideology,” said Emrus.
Previously, on different occasions, Emrus revealed that narrow identity politics could divide, so this should not be allowed, because it threatens national unity and has the potential to cause horizontal conflicts. Horizontal conflicts are more difficult to overcome than vertical conflicts.
According to him, a person who tugs at a group in identity politics is a sign that the person has very narrow thoughts.
The existence of the phenomenon of identity politics can disrupt the democratic climate that exists in Indonesia. When the practice of identity politics occurs, it will also have an impact that is felt by the community itself, even in a long term.
For your information, based on the Decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) Number 67/PUU-XIX/2021, the design of simultaneous National Elections (Elections) chosen by the legislators for the upcoming 2024 law is to implement simultaneous elections in two stages.
In the first stage, namely simultaneous elections to elect members of the People’s Representative Council (DPR RI), Regional Representative Council (DPD), President and Vice President, to members of the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD). Then for the second stage, regional elections (Pilkada) were carried out simultaneously nationally.
