Longing for a Simultaneous Regional Elections with Political Politeness
By definition, politics is the search for and the attempt to retain power, or the opposing of the exercise of power.
By
ADI PRINANTYO
·4 minutes read
The thunder of the 2017 Jakarta Regional Election has left many residents of the capital with wounds. The remnants of society’s political maturity prevented horizontal conflict from escalating. This maturity stems from a realization that the Republic of Indonesia is a diverse country, which means that pluralism is a necessity.
Next year, 2018, will be a political year, with elections to be held 171 regions. The National Police have identified five provinces with high vulnerability to conflict: West Java, East Java, North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi and Papua. The assessment was made after taking region population and political party dynamics into consideration.
Meanwhile, the 2018 regional elections Election Vulnerability Index (IKP) compiled by the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) shows that vulnerability to conflict from gubernatorial elections is high in three provinces, namely Papua, Maluku and West Kalimantan. In regards to the regional elections in 154 regencies/cities, six are considered vulnerable to conflict: Mimika, Paniai, Jayawijaya and Puncak regencies in Papua, Konawe regency in Southeast Sulawesi and South Central Timor regency in East Nusa Tenggara (Kompas, 8/12).
If the energy of the Jakarta public was drained by the 2017 Jakarta election, what will happen in the 171 elections next year? By definition, politics is the search for and the attempt to retain power, or the opposing of the exercise of power. It is only natural, then, that politicians try to influence the public to vote for them.
Problems arise from how campaigns attempt to influence the public. History shows that campaigns that focus on issues related to ethnicity, religion, race and societal groups (SARA) trigger horizontal conflicts in society, especially if the message is not delivered in a way that is polite and respectful.
It must be admitted that some regional elections are not colored by polite politics. It is ironic that politicians, who are public figures, neglect political politeness for the sake of personal political interest and that of their group.
With the coming of the 2018 simultaneous regional election, which is bound to stir up the country’s political tensions, it is important to remind election contestants, including the candidates, political parties and campaign teams, to promote political politeness and drop any form of provocation.
Not provocative
This call has been voiced by a number of parties, as quoted by Kompas on Friday, Dec 1. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), at the MUI National Work Meeting III in Bogor, called on all contestants of the regional elections to prioritize strategies that were good, polite and not provocative. The clerics believe that political tensions during the 2018 regional elections could spark horizontal conflict if not well managed.
According to MUI deputy chairman Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi, it is also important for candidates to prioritize the common good. It is hoped that the candidates do not justify using any means they consider necessary to win, while ignoring the detrimental impacts they may have on society.
A similar call was made by Pemuda Muhammadiyah. One of the recommendations to come from the Pemuda Muhammadiyah Tanwir III meeting was to support the implementation of political akhlak (morals). “Political morals are politics that maintain spirituality and foster human rights,” said Pemuda Muhammadiyah chairman Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak. The political practices carried out must reflect good character, not payment politics or money politics for the sake of power.
The politicians competing in the regional elections must understand that the common good be made a priority. The power gained by winning the election must be used for the welfare and prosperity of the people.
The call for polite politics and to return to the true meaning of power for the common good is becoming increasingly important for the realization of the essence of elections as a democratic process. The essence of the process must remain intact: carried out peacefully to produce leaders that will improve the prosperity of society as a whole.