"We hope positive aspects of elections would be disseminated by our colleagues at RRI, TVRI, and ANTARA," KPU chairperson Hasyim Asy'ari said during the signing of a quadrilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) on election news broadcasting between the KPU and ANTARA News Agency, RRI, and TVRI, here on Monday.
One positive aspect of the election that could be highlighted is its purpose, which is to establish central and regional governments and preserve the unity of Indonesia, the KPU head pointed out.
While conflicts between candidates and voters are inevitable, an election itself, ultimately, is also a conflict, albeit legal, as it is a medium to determine government succession, he observed.
"General and regional elections are ultimately a conflict, which is legal, to gain and defend a political power. Yet, the most important thing now is to frame this conflict with its ultimate purpose: to preserve Indonesia," Asy'ari underlined.
He said that though it can trigger conflicts, an election, particularly a simultaneous election, is perceived as a medium for bolstering national integration.
National integration can be achieved after political figures set aside their differences and decide to govern together as a coalition despite intense campaigns to gain people's votes before election day, he explained.
"In the simultaneous election, the candidate pair is proposed by a party coalition. Hence, on the one side, they must engage in conflicts to gain people's votes, which would be converted into parliament seats, but on the other, political parties share the same view on their presidential candidate," he added.
A simultaneous election is a medium of national integration, and the national mass media must constantly communicate its positive aspects to residents, he said.
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Translator: Tri Meilani A, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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