Still Know Nothing About the General Elections?
Indonesia is gearing up for its third national general election in April 2014 for legislative and in July 2014 for Presidential election. Political parties have been vigorously campaigning through the various media channels, and likewise each legislative hopeful (‘caleg’) is in their respective high gears to garner attention and popularity, especially through social media. The high number of public participation, however, does not necessarily translate into votes. Looking back at the previous general election in 2009 that saw Indonesia’s sixth President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sworn in for his second term, 50 million out of 176 million legitimate voters were reportedly abstain.
Pemilihan Umum (photo courtesy: gresnews/globalindonesianvoices)
To address this for the upcoming election, several independent, self-initiated online groups have sprung up as a bridge of knowledge between the general elections and voters. These initiatives aim to eradicate apathy in politics due to ignorance, while also educating the people so as not to give their votes without sufficient knowledge.
Firstly, Ayo Vote targets the younger generation to be actively involved in both legislative and presidential elections with the aim of raising democracy awareness. Ayo Vote’s website provides a one-stop portal for information on and the history of the general election, material for the public on politics and political parties, forum of knowledge on candidates – namely calegs, President and Vice President hopefuls – through knowledge sharing and discussion. Ayo Vote emphasizes on the role of youths and how their votes can greatly impact democracy and its outcome; it is a privilege and, collectively, an enormous responsibility at the same time.
Another initiative targeted at overseas voters is Diaspora Memilih. Initiated by Global Indonesian Voices (GIV), and supported by the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, The Political Literacy Institute, Ayo Vote as well as The Jakarta Globe, Diaspora Memilih provides basic political education and voting information for Diaspora all over the world. With more than 4.6 million Indonesian residing overseas, the number is significant for contributing to a better Indonesia. There is a stereotype prevalent among Indonesian Diasporas that the young generation is too busy to step their foot in to cast their votes. Most of them admit that they do not plan to vote because they do not know the candidates. That is why this initiative’s emphasis is to diminish the number of politically apathetic.
Kaskus, the largest Indonesian general online forum, participates in facilitating the hype by creating a specific forum PEMILU 2014. The forum provides a platform for members to candidly share their knowledge and opinions on topics related to the upcoming general election. This enables the members to dig more of the general attitude people have about the candidates and political parties they have in mind. However, as with most forums, readers should be selective in taking in information and know to differentiate between opinions based on facts from statements of fact itself.
To conclude the list, there is APSI or Aplikasi Saksi (Witness Application), a vigilante website that oversees the election process. APSI members are youth volunteers who ensure that there is no fraud attempt during the election process and that true democracy is achieved during this election by running on the basis of honesty, conscience and nationalism.
It is hoped that with these existing endeavors, and their vast outreach thanks to modern technology and the internet, political abstinence becomes a thing of the past and the entire nation participates in the move to shape Indonesia’s projected future.
(source: Global Indonesian Voices)