By Nadja Alexandra
There is this moment any young adult living in Indonesia has experienced. It’s that moment after being handed a plastic blue card. Behind it is a little map of the archipelago and on the flipside is often an unflattering picture of yourself next to information that you’re sure is important. That moment is when we turn 17 and get our own Kartu Tanda Penduduk (KTP). One of the many thoughts that come with a KTP include getting your own bank account, being able to file things under your name and, most patriotically, the right to vote.
Indonesian elections are known to have extremely high participant ratings, barely falling short of 80% (higher than most of western countries’ averages). This year in the 2019 presidential election, we saw a voter turnout of an estimated 81.9%. Leading up to the election, the top two candidates were not left short of controversy. For many the idea of having Jokowi once more as president was tiresome and ineffective whereas others were reeling at the concept that perhaps the much criticized Prabowo will finally take the seat as Indonesia’s head chief. With such anticipation and stakes, there begs one question: what of the 18.1%? 18.1% out of 264 million is still a lot of people!
In a country privileged with the choice of democracy, why do people still not vote? This move is often perceived as a risk and a shame. Non-voters can often be pinned as the ones that could have made the difference during slim victories. They could swing the election towards either way.
In order to understand these people from a most more objective perspective, one must define the democracy that we live in. In Indonesia, every citizen is given the right to cast vote. A vote that they may put in the trust of a leader and party where they feel most represented. For example, some see Jokowi as the stable force of good. They trust him and they see his commitment to religious values through his choice in running mate. Others feel more represented by Prabowo. That is a man of immediate change! Something different! Someone who speaks for himself as a man. And his running mate, a well known and successful businessman, surely will help use those entrepreneurial skills to refine Indonesia’s economy.
But take a look at who could possibly feel unrepresented. Though a large majority of religious groups feel safe with a spiritual man as a leader, other social minorities may feel threatened. These groups are not limited to the LGBTQ+ community but also religious groups not necessarily conforming to the Islam and Christianity practiced in most of Indonesia’s capitals. If anything, hate towards these groups have actually brought parties and candidates together. A unanimous intolerance for these people followed with a history of legislation targeting them.
So why vote for someone whose policies complicate your way of living? Most non-voters do this simply for that reason. Morality for moralities sake. But several groups in the non-voting margin actually do this as an act of protest. Try to get into the mind of a young, new voter:
“It’s showing that I count. My vote matters. My vote as a queer person matters, my vote as an eco-aware person matters. If they want my vote, they will have to think about the gay community, they will have to think about climate change, they will have to think about policies that I care about. Because more and more people are doing this. 18% becomes 20% and then becomes 40%. One day, a strategist will look at a map and see a 50/50 split on possible voters. How will they win? With whoever didn’t vote last year. Who are these non-voters? People like me. People who didn’t vote for the same reasons. In order for candidates to win, they strategically will have to cater to me. It’s slow change and I do other things that affect things much more immediately but every chance I have to build a country where people like me can feel safe and accepted is one I will continue to take. Democracy allows choice. I choose not to vote.”
I’m writing carefully here, keeping my pinky from smearing purple ink on my keyboard. This piece exists for the practice of empathy. Small issues, like these issues, exist for a reason: to exercise our humanity. It’s a trick, don’t you think? Here is a small group, only 18%. Could be your classmate, your coworker or even your spouse. If your candidate loses, you can easily say: it’s because you didn’t vote. It is such a temptation to spread anger and hate however microscopic it may be. Blame is so often shoved into places where reason may grow.
Take this with a grain of salt. This country may not be the land of the free but we’re offered some form of agency.
Comentarios