77th Anniversary Of The Republic Of Indonesia: A Moment To Get Rid Of Hate, Towards Healthy 2024 Elections

JAKARTA - The 77th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia cannot be separated from the issue of the constellation of domestic politics. Dozens of political parties this month have entered the initial stage as a condition for competing in the 2024 election. There are already dozens of parties that have registered with the KPU.

After registering, major parties, especially those in parliament, immediately devise strategies, among others, by seeking and forming coalitions. Meanwhile, the new parties still have to struggle to pass the administrative verification and factual verification set by the KPU.

The political temperature will certainly heat up. Is it as hot as the previous election? It could be. The political narrative up to now, said the Director of Strategic PolEtik, M Subhan, has not moved from self-pity and cynicism. The social media commentary column from party partisans is still thick with blasphemy and attacks on each other.

“Negative diction such as stupid, stupid, tadpole, scumbag, kadrun, is still often found. People don't seem to feel uncomfortable showing reactive, emotional, or short-lived attitudes,” said Subhan in his writing entitled 'Stop hating' on his personal blog.

Those at the grassroots tend to like to defend their ideology without realizing that they are exposed to politics.

This condition is certainly very worrying. It is even more worrying if there are still militant operators who deliberately make citizens into political objects by playing SARA issues which tend to be used in the previous elections.

In fact, according to the Bethel Indonesia Theological College Lecturer, Yulius Aris Widiantoro, politics was originally born as a manifestation of citizen awareness. The essence of politics is an effort to create a prosperous society. As the Greek philosopher Plato said, politics is simple. If they are able to realize the welfare of the citizens, the police will prosper.

And vice versa, if the behavior of citizens is bad, the state will be bad too. In politics, humans must be placed as subjects and not objects or means of gaining power.

“Citizens or society are entities of a nation, therefore politicians must place them not in subject-object relations, but in subjects-subjects. Don't think of them as potentials to power, but as a force to build the glory of the nation and state,” said Yulius in his writing 'Building Healthy Politics' in Kompas on August 13, 2022.

Politics in this country needs to be returned to its essence as a way to the common good. Mass mobilization and arguments with a hominen character, namely an argument built on the basis of hatred against political opponents with language that tends to be sarcastic and full of propaganda, must be ended.

Subhan argues, how to reduce partisan hostility can use the concept of Rachel Hartman et al (Interventions to Reduce Partisan AnimosityFebruary 2022). It needs intervention at three levels or approaches with the TRI framework: thoughts, relationships, and institutions.

At the level of thoughts, the target is to correct misperceptions about different groups, while finding similarities between each group.

At the relationship level, it focuses on dialogue and interaction with political opponents.

“So far, group members have minimal interaction with other groups. They tend to communicate with fellow group members. This situation can be trapped by the echo chamber effect which rejects different views. On social media, we usually see blocking, unfriending, unfollowing, or left group actions. For this reason, intervening this relationship is important in order to build positive, productive relationships,” said Subhan.

At the institutional level, there is an urgency for changes in public discourse and institutions, ranging from the media to political structures. The goal is to form a civilized society culture.

“It is important to realize that respecting differences is a democratic principle. Different political entities are like opponents in the arena of competition, not the battlefield," he said

It is understandable that politics is always in turmoil, because it is a place where various interests meet. However, allowing politics to continue to fall into hatred, of course it is impossible to present politics as a medium for the common good.

That is why, prioritizing virtue as a form of political responsibility must become a collective consciousness. This requires a strong commitment, both elites and the public from different groups, to jointly realize the 2024 General Election as a truly healthy contest.

"We must all have the courage to break the chain of enmity that has already crippled the political arena," added Saban.

Look at Nelson Mandela, the Father of the South African Nation. Despite being a victim of the brutal hatred of apartheid politics, Mandela actually taught a lesson, "If they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love."

“Loving Indonesia is a noblesse oblige for all of us. Then, stop hating!” he said.

Happy 77th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia. Recover faster, rise stronger, and realize a healthy 2024 Election.