A month ago, on 14 February, we Indonesians exercised our rights to vote for future leaders of this country in the general election. They like to call it “The Festival of Democracy”, a celebration of the freedom of choice in voting for the people we think best represent our vision and values. But this terminology never sat right with me, as I see news after news of intimidation and bribery linked to the presidential candidates. What could be celebrated if what we have is a flawed electoral process and an unjust system?
In Sampang, Madura, for example, the head of a village made an official complaint to the police because he allegedly was threatened by two city-level officials to resign, possibly for the benefit of certain political groups. Similar occurrences have also happened in other regions, which is explained in greater detail in a documentary titled “Dirty Vote“. I remember watching it in shock as each of the experts, one by one, revealed pieces of information that further backs up my belief that our political system is too flawed for democracy to exist as how it should. The election is a celebration, a festival, only for those who are already in positions of power and get the benefit of the flawed system. Or as Bivitri Susanti, a law expert invited in Dirty Vote, calls as orang-orang bermental culas dan tahan malu — people with a deceitful mentality with no shame.
What I understood from the documentary and all the information I have found was that the price of free will and free choice is high. So when we are fortunate to truly have free choice and millions of lives — including those who might not have as much freedom — may be affected by our vote, it is not something that should be taken lightly.
With this understanding, there are a lot of factors that could be taken into consideration in choosing a political candidate—too many factors, even, until it becomes overwhelming. Some only prioritize the candidate’s public image. Others say we should primarily focus on the track record of each candidate. Some also mention the most important factor is the issue or field we care about and how each candidate may affect it. But that’s not all. Socioeconomic, religious, racial, and other factors play into voters decision.
Unfortunately, the factors mentioned above are things that any political candidate could easily manipulate, primarily through the media that we consume. So although we might not be able to change the system, we could still acquire a little celebration for ourselves by being a wise voter and utilizing the free choice we have in a conscious, critical way. To achieve this, all voters must have at least research and literacy skills.
Research and literacy skills are not merely having questions and finding the answers on the internet —anyone can do that with the current state of digital media. The most important task is not only to differentiate facts and hoaxes but also to be aware of bias or ulterior motives behind every piece of media. For example, a media outlet favoring candidate B may use words with negative connotations when describing the other candidates. By being aware and noticing this bias whenever we’re seeking information, we could be more in control of how the media may affect our choices. It is also equally important to look for new perspectives, even ones that go against ours. Doing this can have some benefits. First, we could evaluate our own choice and whether or not it’s the one that best represents our values. Second, enriching ourselves with lots of perspectives may help us to not become too polarized and ensure that we can still respect other people’s choices that might be different from ours. Only then we can make the festival ours as we can celebrate the fact that our choice is born by thinking critically and making the best out of the freedom we have. Long live democracy.
Ayunda Damai 