He made the statement in response to journalists' questions regarding the measures that must be taken to prevent identity politics, as was seen during the 2019 elections.
"Actually, our people are smart now, alright. They are smart," he remarked here on Thursday.
According to Amin, since everyone--be it the government, political parties, religious leaders, and community leaders--has appealed against identity politics, then it means that the public can understand the concept.
"Therefore, it should not be an issue," he said.
He noted that when choosing a leader, everyone has preferences or tendencies regarding some aspects, and this is natural. However, resorting to identity politics during campaigning or promoting candidate leaders must not be done.
"When people choose, inevitably there are feelings like ‘I (relate to this candidate more), (we have) similar views, (I) prefer (them) because they are better, because of this, this, this.’ I think when it comes to choices, it's not a problem. What is (must be) avoided is that if they campaign, it should not employ (identity politics) aspect," he said.
He then noted that in the past, differences in holiday determination had also caused conflicts at lower levels. But now, differences in holiday date stipulations no longer lead to conflict.
"I think we hope that starting 2024, there will be no more conflicts due to differences in choices," Amin added.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu A J, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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