The regional elections have to be managed in such a way as to not damage the threads of the nation. Different choices are reasonable in political contests.
The statement made by President Joko Widodo that different political choices should not break the unity of the nation is very understandable. "We hope that after the elections, everyone will return to being brothers and sisters," said the President (Kompas, Feb. 16).
It has to be admitted that the regional elections have created new distance between citizens, neighbors and even in families. This condition has been worsened by social media penetration. The phenomenon of "friend" and "unfriend" happens in social media. The regional elections world has polarized people between "us" and "them", "friends" and "opponents".
Regional election polarization like this reminds us of the expression used by President George Bush when he declared war against terrorists: "You are either with us, or against us." Such polarization is too inflexible in the practical politics of pluralistic Indonesia. In practical politics, there are no immortal opponents and friends because what exists is only interest.
In a number of regions, except for Jakarta, the voting has been carried and is now in the phase of vote counting until the final stage when the heads-elect are determined. In Jakarta, because the law regulates it this way, the regional election will have a second round on April 19. The competition in the second round will continue between the candidate pairs of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama-Djarot Saeful Hidayat and Anies Baswedan-Sandiada Uno.
The energy of Jakarta’s citizens will have to be drained again until the end of Jakarta’s regional election. Determining the Jakarta governor is scheduled for May 5-6, if there is no dispute in the Constitutional Court. If there is a legal dispute, the determination will be extended to June 2017. This is considered too long. But that is the reality that must be faced. Our aspirations for a one-round election are well understood as a way to defuse political tension.
In the context of weaving the nation’s threads, the candidate pairs also have the responsibility of maintaining the national weave and ensuring it is not damaged. We believe Basuki-Djarot and Anies-Sandi are the types of young, modern leaders who are committed to competing healthily in Jakarta, while weaving the nation’s threads.
The regional elections are a contest of ideas, a competition about programs and how to implement those programs. Only through a contest of ideas, and not merely identity politics, can the regional elections be productive and not damage the weave of the nation’s threads.
