Yogyakarta, March 8th, 2023—As Indonesia gets nearer to the 2024 Presidential Election, the participation of youth is even more crucial in shaping the future of Indonesia’s democracy. This is the central theme discussed in the Town Hall Meeting at Grha Sabha Pramana UGM on Wednesday (8/3). In collaboration with the Department of Politics and Governance (DPP) UGM, the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Kemenko Polhukam) held a Town Hall Meeting titled “Tut Wuri Handayani: Encouraging and Finding the Exemplary Politics of Youth in Supporting the 2024 Presidential Election”.
To start the discussion, the Vice Governor of DI Yogyakarta, Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Aryo Paku Alam X elaborated the essence of Tut Wuri Handayani in daily political life of the society. “I believe that the essential output we all want to reach is the rise of awareness and a collective perspective that politics is everybody’s business. And that choosing not to be involved is a form of giving up, not a form of protest or deviance,” said Paku Alam X.
The Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, also encouraged youths to not opt out of the election. “I hope that youth can be the watchdog for this election so that our democracy continues to grow,” said Mahfud as the keynote speaker. Mahfud MD also said that there are currently a lot of polemics in our society, starting from the existence of fake news to the plan of postponing the election. Other than Mahfud MD, there was also the leader of KPU RI, Hasyim Asy;ari; The Governor of Lemhanas, Andi Widjajanta; The Staff of the Minister of Government Affairs of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Muchlis Hamdi; and a member of Bawaslu, Totok Haryono.
In the discussion that was led by Amalinda Savirani, the keynote speakers reminded youths of the importance of participative supervision of the election. The election is not only a matter of choosing the next president or legislative member. It is also an arena for society to actively participate in politics in order to create a strong democracy. “Youths should not stand still, but youth should create a movement, and tell their aspirations to political parties. Because if that is not done, then the elected member might not fulfill your expectations,” said Hasyim Asy’ari.
By the end of the event, Amalinda Savirani concluded that youths should be active citizens by volunteering and actively participating.