Maintaining the good image of the parties and also the House is part of the commitment to democracy. Now, that commitment is expected of members of political parties.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
KOMPAS
The political temperature is starting to warm up ahead of the political contestation which will be held in about 20 months, namely, February 14, 2024. Political parties still have the opportunity to pursue electability in order to match their achievement targets in the 2024 General Election.
We still have 20 months before the 2024 general election, but the electability of political parties will likely remain unchanged. However, a number of things can still happen the change that.
This can be seen from the results of a Kompas Research and Development survey carried out on 26 May-4 June 2022. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Gerindra Party had the highest electability ratings with 22.8 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively. However, the electability of the two parties remained relatively the same when compared to a January survey. An increase in electability was seen in the Democratic Party, which was in third place with 11.6 percent.
However, this figure will still likely change in the 2024 general election because around 16 percent of respondents abstained and 20-30 percent of voters for each party will still likely change their minds. All of these will likely change along with the evolving socio-political dynamics.
A number of factors can make voters change their minds before the 2024 election, such as the candidates for legislative members or president and vice president, and the campaign strategy carried out by the parties for the upcoming election.
In this regard, one of the current challenges for parties is choosing legislative candidates and presidential and vice-presidential candidates who are credible and able to answer voters' expectations. A transparent and fair selection process using clear criteria will help them settle on the best candidates, which will subsequently help them gain more votes. At the same time, a democratic process for selecting candidates will also increase the party's trust and good image in the eyes of the people.
The results of the Kompas Research and Development survey show that the parties and the House of Representatives have an image rating of 54.6 percent and 48.1 percent, respectively. This figure is the lowest when compared to that of other institutions, such as the Indonesian Military (TNI), the Police, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Attorney General's Office and the Regional Representative Council.
Maintaining the good image of the parties and also the House is part of the commitment to democracy. Now, that commitment is expected of members of political parties.
The low image of the parties and the House cannot be underestimated because the parties and their cadres in the House have a very important position in running the country. The existence of political parties is one of the conditions of democracy. Practically, almost all elections must go through a process in the House, either directly or indirectly.
Under such a condition, maintaining the good image of the parties and also the House is part of the commitment to democracy. Now, that commitment is expected of members of political parties, for example by carrying out democratic practices in determining legislative and presidential candidates. Their commitment will largely determine the quality of our democracy, not only in the 2024 election but also from now on and after the next election.
