Millennial legislative candidates join the fray

KOMPAS/TATANG MULYANA SINAGA

A candidate for the legislative member of the Bandung City Legislative Council (DPRD) from the United Development Party, Alga Indria (right), holds a mini concert in Antapani, Bandung city, West Java, Wednesday evening (6/3/2019). The concert, which was also broadcast live via Instagram and Youtube, was a way to introduce himself to his constituents.

More than 1,500 legislative candidates in the upcoming election are millennials. Other than ensuring a political regeneration, their presence is hoped to boost the participation of millennial voters.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — On Sunday (10/3/2019), data at the General Elections Commission’s (KPU) official website showed that there will be 7,968 legislative candidates vying for House of Representatives seats in the 2019 election. Of this amount, 1,543 are of the millennial generation, born after 1980. Of these millennial legislative candidates, 588 are below 30 years old and the other 955 are between 31 and 40 years old.

There are fewer millennial legislative candidates in 2019 than there were in 2014, when 1,623 millennials ran for office. However, this year, not all personal pages of legislative candidates in the KPU website can be opened.

The political party with the highest percentage of millennial legislative candidates is the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) with 25.6 percent, followed by the National Awakening Party (PKB), the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party (PAN).

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

Legislative election candidates Ricci Antar Bangsa and Ricco Antar Budaya are both fighting for Banyuwangi Council (DPRD) seats in the 2019 election. The twins are backed by the Democratic Party for two different electoral districts.

Millennial candidates are also found among candidates vying for Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) seats. Banten province is one example. Banten regional KPU’s (KPUD) voters’ education and participation division head Eka Satialaksmana said the province had 1,069 legislative council candidates this year. Of this amount, around 30 percent are millennials. This is an increase from the 20 percent in 2014.

The number of youngsters among Regional Representatives Council (DPD) candidates is also increasing in Banten. In this year’s election, the province has 26 DPD candidates, of which around a quarter are young people. In 2014, only 20 percent of DPD candidates were young politicians.

Millennial legislative candidates in the 2019 election come from various backgrounds, including final-year university students, entrepreneurs, singers, professional workers and punk community members. Some of them come from regional or national political elite families.

These millennial legislative candidates are generally political novices claiming to be taking the plunge into politics to bring change.

Hope

Lestari Cinta Zanidya, 22, a House of Representatives candidate in West Java I constituency from the PSI, said she felt there was something wrong in Indonesian politics. She said good politicians were often marginalized while many other politicians ended up not fulfilling their campaign promises. Such situations have led many millennials to lose trust in politicians.

“Many young people are fed up with politics. When I introduce myself as a legislative candidate from the PSI, many do not even want to talk to me. It’s because they are so fed up with politics,” said the final-year student at University of Indonesia’s (UI) school of engineering.

However, Cinta said she still had hope for politics, which was what had encouraged her to register as a legislative candidate. As a millennial, she pledged to hear and fight for the aspirations of her fellow millennials.

“If you want to be a young politician, you have to take risks,” she said.

Singer Agustina Hermanto, 25, popularly known as Tina Toon, said she joined the fray in the 2019 election to help others. The Jakarta City Council candidate from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said legislative bodies were strategic fields of struggle.

“In voicing our concerns, we must not only be loud on social media. We can do something and help a lot more people by taking the plunge into practical politics,” she said.

YUDA SATRIA

Singer and presenter Agustina Hermanto, known as Tina Toon, is a young legislative candidate for the House of Representatives from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

If chosen as a City Council member, Tina said she hoped to meet and work with other millennial representatives to fight for a more transparent political system.

Nur Agis Aulia, 29, a Serang City Council candidate from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said he was motivated to become a councillor in order to create more jobs. He has the experience of creating Jawara Banten Farm, an integrated agricultural business that has provided jobs for many local farmers. It was these partners, he said, that encouraged him to enter politics.

Vote-getters

PAN secretary-general Eddy Soeparno said the presence of legislative candidates aged 21-35 years old were highly important for parties. In electoral terms, they may help attract millennial voters of the similar age range. Eddy said 40 percent of PAN’s candidates for the House were young people.

Nasdem Party secretary-general Johnny G. Plate gave a similar claim, saying that 70 percent of the party’s candidates for the House are young people.

“They are equally strong as senior candidates. They are young and have higher mobility, so they can campaign more effectively,” he said.

Positive phenomenon

Political communications lecturer AG Eka Wenats of Paramadina University’s postgraduate communication study program said the emergence of young legislative candidates was a positive phenomenon. Eka said the phenomenon provided a real portrait of politics and young people. There are young people apathetic towards politics, but there are also those motivated to take the plunge into the political arena.

“Perhaps they are motivated by the frustrations that our national politics have been dominated by the same politicians for years. These young legislative candidates bring freshness into the game,” he said.

Despite all their limitations, especially in their political experience, Eka said these young legislative candidates had a good chance to win a considerable number of votes.

“Young voters are rational. They will make their choices based on political capability and professionalism,” Eka said.

Lecturer Abdul Hamid at Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University’s school of social and political sciences in Serang, Banten, also said the emergence of many young legislative candidates was positive. It shows a regeneration in political parties. Nevertheless, the recruitment process for these young legislative candidates must also be observed.

(TRI/ELN/BAY/GER/TAM/LOK/AGE/BSW)