Education for a Citizen
The 2014 Presidential Election gave a rare educational opportunity
The 2014 Indonesian Presidential Election was unlike any other election after the landmark Reformasi movement in 1998 that relaunched democracy in the country. The competition between retired army general Prabowo and Governor Jokowi was seen as a defining moment for Indonesians in charting the course to a better future. As a result, the campaign period was very loud — in which disgustingly rampant black campaign played a significant part.
While this will be irrelevant to the content of this story, the current political atmosphere demands that I make my preference clear: I voted for Jokowi for reasons that will make one hefty reading, although this brave Jakarta Post editorial and this crisp writing summed them up neatly. Congrats, troublemakers — you don’t have read between the lines to accuse me of being one-sided.
Call to action.
Even though I made my decision early in the campaigning period, at first I did not expect the election process to be so raucous. I was prepared to sleep and Facebook my way through an uneventful month leading to election day. Hey, we’ve done this several times now, no reason to make a spectacle out of it…right? (No.)
Slowly but surely, the toxic campaign insinuated itself into my Facebook news feed and I saw countless people with esteemed academic degrees sharing black campaign items, sadly proving that schooling and education isn’t the same thing. Black campaign by twisting and reframing facts is nothing new, but inventing ‘facts’ is simply repulsive. Before long, the election became a burningtopic and kept aflame with so much nonsense bordering on religious discrimination, racism, and xenophobia.
That’s when I said to myself that I can no longer afford to stay silent. As the editorial said, it has now become more than a political choice: it is now a moral choice, and to quote (Dan Brown quoting) Dante, “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.”
Apparently it is also a beginning of a life lesson, an unforgettable experience to share to my future children and grandchildren. Also, I am very fortunate to have gone through that experience together with my parents.
In cyberspace.
Since I encountered black campaigns mostly on Facebook, I started my online activism — clicktivism — there. I am no stranger to sharing my ‘political’ views online, but there is a sense of urgency this time because election day was getting nearer and there was a lot of competition from other sharers too, not all of whom have done their due diligence.
Being careful not to play into the black campaign’s vicious cycle, I curated select articles reflecting my views and values that also stayed away from making dubious claims against the other side, all the more important since everybody seemed willing to be angry at anything. Well, if they won’t let the substance of the article sink in, at least I want them to show that there’s a better style of online campaigning.
In retrospect, I should have produced more original materials instead of simply sharing what others have made. I guess the hair-trigger temper flaring back then somewhat turned me off from concocting anything by myself. The few original ‘writings’ I did was in the form of passive-aggressive (sorry I’m not a perfect guy) Facebook statuses serving as indirect replies to other people’s ignorant or downright demeaning statuses. But hey, I still made some good points in my moments of passive-aggressiveness.
A few chats with friends revealed that my Facebook news feed was relatively calm with each camp staying mainly within their territories. I got ‘likes’ and positive feedback, and zero heckler. The same cannot be said for my parents’ and friends’ feed who had to entertain rude or clueless, sometimes both, commentators.
The internet became a battleground, and we soldiered on. But a story solely about clicktivism wouldn’t be very interesting, would it?
In Earthspace.
Friday, July 4. What was supposed to be a lazy afternoon at home waiting for iftar transformed into an enlightening and productive evening. My mother, of all people, asked whether I would be interested in attending a Peduli Pemimpin (Concern for the Leader) iftar discussion with none other than Anies Baswedan, the second event organized by the youth wing of Jokowi campaign.
I didn’t instantly jump at the offer. Partly because my bed has an extra-strong gravity field. Also, I have never ever attended such an event. I got a glimpse of it from YouTube, but I know that things can be very different in real life. What if the crowd isn’t that fun? What if I would feel out of place? What good can I give to others by being there? And lots of other what-ifs keeping me from saying ‘yes’.
Anyhow, I brushed aside my anxiety and said “Yes, let’s go!” and it is true that good things come to those who says ‘yes’ to life.
People of all ages, from all walks of life, regardless of ethnicity and faith and whatever the black campaigners are trying to abuse, showed up to enliven an electrifying and informative discussion. The genuine enthusiasm was palpable, a surprising finding in Indonesian politics. It felt less like a campaign event and more like a celebration for Indonesians joining hand-in-hand to send the right guy to the Merdeka Palace. It’s not everyday that we get to do that, and we’re not gonna let this chance pass by.
A group of artist-celebrities opened the discussion by sharing their testimonies and insights on why they choose Jokowi. And boy, the Jokowi campaign has all the right artists in its roster who volunteered out of concern for the fate of the nation. After a lively session of sharing and great music, the one and only Anies Baswedan took the stage, delivering a strong and moving message answering the question “Why Jokowi?”.
Participating in this kind of public event is a new thing for me, so I surprised myself even more when I (or my adrenaline rush) decided that I have to go to the Bung Karno Stadium the next day for the Salam 2 Jari concert in support of Jokowi. As if that wasn’t shocking enough, both my parents echoed my decision. This family was gonna go all in for Jokowi.
We did it! For the first time in my life I went to Bung Karno Stadium. Still hesitant at first, I tested the water by enjoying the concert from the tribune but certainly that was not enough. We then joined the crowd down at the field, finding an even more eclectic mix of people compared to the previous night. When Jokowi took the stage, the stadium was buzzing with so much energy and positive vibes that I have never felt before. I kinda forgot how hot and humid it was in there, and the size of the crowd didn’t bother me at all.
I was there!
I went home with the precious souvenir of heightened enthusiasm and optimism for the election. These awesome gatherings strengthened my faith in Indonesia and will be one of those few moments I will tell my children about for a million times, ignoring their cries to make me stop.
More lessons learned.
Now that the party has cooled down a bit, I took some time to relax and reflect on the experience, to become aware once again, so that I can get the most out of the opportunity. I tried to dissect that certain je ne sais quoi energizing me for those few days.
First, just by being there, participating and doing small stuffs, I gained more than I previously imagined. It reminds me that we are rarely alone, especially when we are fighting for a good cause. Good people fighting for a good cause will attract even more good people.
While I got comments and ‘likes’ on Facebook, they can’t hold a candle to real life interaction. I’m not a depressed, lonely social-media inhabitant; I do well in real-life social interactions, but attending these events together with thousands of people brought an irreplaceable sensation of living.
Even better than being at the same event and place as other people is being at the same event and place with other people. New ideas and perspectives are flowing freely, not replacing our own, but giving vibrant color to our views. Everybody had different reasons for supporting Jokowi and I learned a lot about them during these massive events. We gained something from each other and it will stay forever with us.
In an age where everything has to be evaluated in metrics — how many X, what percentage Y — there is something liberating in simply taking happiness as its own reward. I made considerable effort to be there, like walking from Plaza Senayan to the stadium (and walking is not a pleasing business here), yet there is no instant tangible gains to be had. You won’t be able to measure the financial benefit because it would be nil, but my happiness-meter is skyrocketing.
Next, there is even more life lessons from asking “Why did I do that in the first place? Why bother leaving my comfy bed for a discussion with hundreds of people? Why trade a few hours at home with a sweaty afternoon in the stadium?”
Hope. Trust.
Anies Baswedan correctly said in the speech that there is a ‘crisis of trust’ in this republic. I’m no political scientist but I think being constantly disappointed by our leaders has something to do with that crisis. Even when something good comes out of the government’s mouth, we question it, we suspect that there is something beneath that good news.
Now, Jokowi stands before us as someone we can trust. His track record is far from flawless, but he is certainly a breath of fresh air in this choking political atmosphere. His leadership style, policies and innovations, achievements and breakthroughs have earned him our trust.
We do not expect him to be perfect, especially taking into account the political big picture in the country; however, we trust that he will make a great effort to be as perfect as humanly possible. We entrust him with our hope.
With a leader that we can trust, we become brave enough to hope and strong enough to keep that hope alive. That’s what brought the colorful masses together, we feel empowered by our own burning flames of hope. Yes, Indonesia won’t suddenly turn into the number 1 country in many aspects in one day, but now we know we can and will achieve it together.
“Man can accomplish anything when he realizes he’s a part of something bigger” — Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.
There is more to being the President of Indonesia than policies and projects. The ultimate goal is to ‘memanusiakan manusia’, to help each and every Indonesian realize his and her potentials as a person, to let them grow into the best they can be. While ‘vision’, ‘hope’, or ‘trust’ won’t be calculated in the state budget or written into law, they should always be present in our leaders’ thoughts and action.
Re-reading the draft of this post, especially the last parts, I almost forgot that this is about a political event. ‘New people and perspectives’, ‘trust’ and ‘hope’, ‘happiness’, Nick Fury — these words are traditionally more easily found in travel blogs and Marvel movies rather than politics.
If I may add one more lesson learned here, is that politics does not have to be lifeless and should not suck the life out of its subjects, it’s not a Dementor. Politics is an integral part of everyone’s lives and we should not shy away from it. Instead of being a source of dread and hostility, politics should be a cause of celebration and happiness as we strive for a better future.
One can enter a political party or a political position, but he/she cannot enter politics, because no one is outside of politics to begin with.
Last part! Because I’m such a procrastinator, it took me more than several days to post this writing, and on July 22, the General Elections Commission has officially announced Jokowi as President-elect with more than 70 million votes or 53,15% of the total votes cast in the election. Congratulations!
