In light of Indonesia’s National Election that will be held in April 2019, Polri (the Indonesian National Police) held a series of socialization campaigns for universities through ‘Polri Goes to Campus’. Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) was given the honors to be part of this program. This Discussion with Experts, themed ‘The Role of Students in Achieving a Safe, Peaceful, and Well-Run Election for the unity of the Republic of Indonesia’, is aimed to increase the students’ awareness of their role in the future of the country. This event is held on November 27, 2018, at the Grand Chapel of UPH Lippo Village, with 1,300 participants consisting of UPH civitas academia and students from Sekolah Dian Harapan and UPH College.

Brigjen. Pol. Mohammad Iqbal, S.I.K., M.H., Head of Polri’s Public Relations Division, is the keynote speaker for this discussion, along with Brigjen. Pol. Drs. Eddy S. Tambunan, M.Si., Karo Bin Ops Baharkam Polri Fritz Edward Siregar, S.H., LL.M., Ph.D., a member of the Election Supervisory Agency, and Dr. Naniek N. Setijadi, S.Pd., M.Si., the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Science as additional speakers.

The Founder & Chairman of Lippo Group, Dr. (H.C.) Mochtar Riady, UPH Rector, Dr. (Hon) Jonathan L. Parapak, M.Eng.Sc., Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Gunawaty Tjioe, B.Ed., M.Pd., Ph.D., are all present in this discussion, along with all of UPH’s head of departments and staff.

Brig. Jen. Pol. Mohammad Iqbal, S.I.K., M.H., the Head of Polri’s Public Relations Division, emphasizes that Polri, the governmental institution responsible for the safety and well-being of its citizens, is heavily campaigning for the upcoming election in order to realize a safe and well-run election.

“A safe and well-run election is key. This is why we want to ask all students to contribute to the well-running of the election,” Iqbal said in his welcoming statement.

The Rector declared that UPH will support this effort made by the government. “UPH will together strive to help create an election that is safe and well-run. We will together strive towards an election that is violation-free and free of false news. This event will equip students with the information they need to choose wisely in the election,” Jonathan Parapak declared.

April’s election will be different from previous elections held in Indonesia. This election, as Eddy Tambunan puts it, is a specific election.

“This election will consist of the Presidential Election (Pilpres) and the Legislative Election (Pileg). There will be a total of five ballots – each to choose the President, House of Representative (DPR) members, members of regional representatives in the province level (DPRD Provinsi), and representatives of each city (DPRD Kota/Kabupaten). This specific election shows the uniqueness and diversity of Indonesia and the students are encouraged to appreciate these differences,” Eddy explained.

There are three institutions responsible in this election – the General Election Commission (KPU), the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), and Election Organizer Ethics Council (DKPP). However, Bawaslu is not alone in overseeing the running of the Election.

“All citizens have a role in this election. Students can contribute to this election by making sure that they are registered in the Final Voter List (DPT), not spreading hoax news or hate speech, and helping to oversee the election process,” Fritz Edward Siregar explained.

People of the millennial age, like students, also need to be critical towards contents in social media, so that they will not be affected by false news and hate speech.

“UPH students, especially those in the Faculty of Social and Political Science, have been equipped with media literacy skills to evaluate news in the media. This fact-checking skill is necessary to differentiate trusted news and false news or hate speech,” Dr. Naniek N. Setijadi explained to the audience.

This discussion features the questions and answers session as well as a photo session. UPH and Polri then exchanged souvenirs and enjoyed Tari Saman, a traditional dance performed by UPH students in the dance group Bireun Seudati. (it)