Singaraja- Simultaneous General Elections (Pemilu) in Indonesia will take place in 2024. This political celebration is a momentum for people to exercise their right to vote, both for the DPR, Regional Heads, and the President. Young people who will also be involved in it are invited to take part in maintaining the dynamics of the elections. This was revealed in the National Civic Law Seminar organized by the Law and Citizenship Department Student Association, Ganesha Education University, Sunday (11/9/2022).
This seminar, which took place online, presented the Chairman of the General Election Supervisory Agency of the Republic of Indonesia, Rahmat Bagja, S.H., LL.M., as a resource person. In his presentation, he conveyed the projected number of young voters in the 2024 elections at around 53.6 percent. This figure is higher than in 2019 35 to 40 percent.
The upcoming elections have the potential to be faced with vulnerable points, whether in the form of voting politics, money politics and misuse of the budget, violations of the neutrality of ASN, TNI/Polri, and Village Heads, voter data and updating data, voting complications, as well as hoaxes or fake news. To prevent these problems, young people who enter as voters in large numbers and as technology-savvy people have a very strategic role. Young people need to be involved in making the election a success by being directly involved in crucial moments. First, at the moment of nomination, young people can take a role in the candidacy process for candidates for elections and elections. Second, during the campaign, you can report money politics and the politicization of SARA through social media and encourage candidates to offer visions, missions, and work programs from the perspective of young people. Third, at the moment of voting, take part in the anti-voting campaign and carry out participatory supervision. “This is what young friends did during the last election,” he said.
Specifically related to the strategy to increase youth participation in organizing elections, Bagja said that Bawaslu had collaborated with relevant stakeholders, organized youth voter education through creative programs, and organized participatory supervision cadre schools.
This seminar was opened by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Public Relations, and Alumni Undiksha, Prof. Dr. I Wayan Suastra, M.Pd. He said that this fourth seminar was important, especially for the younger generation of students in preparing themselves for the upcoming elections. “The younger generation or students must be supported, guarded, and looked after so that they can choose the best future leaders of the nation to be able to deliver a great, independent, and superior Indonesian nation in the future,” he stressed.
He also invited young voters, especially Undiksha students, to become pioneers as smart voters to realize higher quality elections. “The younger generation as the nation’s successors must participate in realizing the nation’s journey. “This includes making the elections a success,” he added.
This seminar was also attended by the leadership of the Undiksha Faculty of Law and Social Sciences. The participants were not only students from the Undiksha Department of Law and Citizenship but also other universities and related agencies. (hms)
