Members of every faction at the House of Representatives gather to hear the results of negotiations in the deliberation of the general elections bill in the 32nd plenary meeting during the fifth sitting period of 2016-2017 at the House in Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday (20/7).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The increase in verbal attacks by members of the political elite on rival political parties could increase prejudice within society in general. In the long run, growing prejudice can lead to social friction and cause conflict within society.
Therefore, the political elites should act with more awareness and make the nation\'s social cohesion a priority. They should avoid making unfounded accusations and recriminations against their political opponents only to achieve short-term goals.
“Young people must be critical of any information they get. If this was practiced, it would be easier to know what statements to believe and what should be disregarded," said Inayah Wahid, a young activist and founder of the Positive Movement organization, who was contacted from Jakarta on Friday (4/8). Inayah is the daughter of former President Abdurrahman Wahid.
Inayah said it would be difficult to ask the political elite to be wise in making statements because some of them may be aware that their statements are not right, but they want to benefit from them. In fact, the political elites should be aware that whatever they say could have a major impact on society.
Statement
In recent days, a number of political elites from certain political parties have made verbal attacks on or unfounded accusations about their political opponents. They have, for example, likened other political parties to the banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) or accused them of being intolerant and anti-Pancasila.
A lecturer of political psychology at Atma Jaya Catholic University Jakarta, Indro Adinugroho, said unfounded accusations by political elites could have negative social implications. First, they could result in distrust of the political elite. Second, supporters of particular political elites may accept the information as true, which could create social conflict.
Indro said those with limited education tended to have an automatic thought, not deliberative thought. As a consequence, they imitate the elite. "If that happens consistently, it can become a learned practice. If they learn good things, the results will be good. However, if they learn bad things, the results will be bad," he said.
A professor of the Faculty of Adab and Humanities State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Azyumardi Azra, said the elite behavior of spreading unfounded accusations could cause hatred and prejudice within society, because such statements could make people feel justified in their prejudices.
"The political elite should stop making unfounded accusations because it can cause an escalation of hatred within society. It\'s very dangerous, "he said.
Mochtar Pabottingi, a professor (Emeritus) of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, expressed similar concerns and encouraged political elites to use legal channels to solve any political disputes. The political elite should, therefore, stop verbally attacking or accusing their political opponents publicly without any strong proof.
