Political parties, whose executives are willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, will be better able to respond to various challenges and allow the party to become more relevant and more worthy of being elected.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO
Flags of political parties participating in the 2019 General Election fill the edge of the flyover in the Senayan area, Central Jakarta, Friday (5/4/2019). Ahead of the 2019 General Election, campaign props for political parties, legislative candidates, and presidential candidates are installed in various corners of the city..
The Kompas National Leadership survey has shown that people are beginning to determine their political party of choice ahead of the 2024 general elections.
The survey, conducted between 17 and 20 Jan. 2022, showed that party electability had increased compared with the previous survey. When asked which party they would choose if the elections were held on that day, respondents reluctant to share their answer or those who did not yet know decreased from the previous 28-44 percent to 17.6 percent.
However, the survey also showed that of the nine parties occupying seats at the House of Representatives, only three had more than 70 percent of loyal voters. The rest only had under 60 percent of loyal voters, with some even at 50 percent.
This indicates that changes in party choice are still likely to occur, at least within the next two years leading up to the 2024 general elections. Even loyal voters may change their minds about their chosen political party.
Experience certainly teaches political party members about what must be done to maintain or increase votes in the elections. For one, by creating a democratic system to elect candidates as legislative members or by naming presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The party must also understand what must be done to keep their voters from changing their minds.
KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO
Political Parties Contesting in the 2019 Election - Chairman of the General Elections Commission (KPU) Arief Budiman claps after handing over the minutes of the verification and determination of the political parties participating in the 2019 election to political parties registering to participate in the 2019 General Election at the Grand Mercure Hotel, Harmoni, Jakarta, Saturday (17/2/2019).
However, pragmatism often makes this difficult to implement. Electing legislative candidates in a democratic manner can be difficult because the system, for example, can be complicated by conflicting interests within a political party. Hunger for power can also keep parties from being critical of issues that are of concern to the people.
The ability to give up personal interests for the sake of the greater good is what will be key for political parties, especially their executives, to succeed in the upcoming elections. Only by overcoming themselves will parties be better able to respond to challenges in the upcoming elections, such as the voter composition where about 60 percent will be made up of Generation Y (millennials) born between 1980 and 1996 and Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2010. Generations Y and Z both have distinct characteristics compared with the previous generations, such as being familiar with information technology.
IT can record a political party’s digital footprint, which can also be difficult to erase. Through this digital footprint, an action or statement by a party or a party figure can be interpreted in various ways by society. Technology also makes it easier for people to create communication networks, including the aggregation of their interests. Online petitions are an example of this.
Political parties, whose executives are willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, will be better able to respond to various challenges and allow the party to become more relevant and more worthy of being elected. This kind of party work is now much awaited.
