Knitting Bonds That Might be Torn

Social ties tend to emerge as the victim of the two sides of the divide that drains people's emotions. In the midst of the political onslaught, various efforts must be made to prevent social ties from being torn apart.

AMBROSIUS HARTO MANUMOYOSO

The Pancawarna Dance from the Banyuwangi delegation enlivened the Nusantara Cultural Festival at Blambangan Park, Banyuwangi, East Java, Wednesday (1/6/2022) night. Pancawarna dance describes the variety of Banyuwangi culture in harmony.

The struggle against the Covid-19 pandemic, which has widened the social divide, does not always result in the bitterness of defeat. The communal bonds that have been proven strong throughout the pandemic have borne the fruits of victory. However, this victory is again now at stake amidst the increasing political onslaught that has the potential to divide society.

More than two years in the shadow of the pandemic, the power of social capital has been tested. A number of surveys that Kompas Research and Development (R&D) conducted throughout the pandemic have produced results proving that the fortress of social life has remained solid. Even in the midst of health or economic problems, social indicators for the strength of social bonds, solidarity, and self-efficacy have increased. The level of social cohesion, or the ability of a community to unite, create a safe environment, and ensure that its members are fulfilled in terms of life’s necessities is increasingly positive. Closer social bonds are built over the passage of time and shared life experiences. The score of people's social ties is relatively high at 18.76 (on a scale of 5-25).

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Compared to the measurement six months earlier during the second wave of Covid-19, community bonds are even stronger. Social cohesion has increased place in almost every aspect, from “harmony” to “greeting each other” and “helping each other”, to “trustworthiness”. There is only one indicator that has declined, which relates to a sense of "having the same fate/circumstance".

Close social ties are also shown by actions of solidarity in a residential community to maintain public health and provide material and nonmaterial assistance. It is not surprising that the United Kingdom’s Charities Aid Foundation has ranked Indonesia first for giving in its latest World Giving Index 2021.

Strong social solidarity and ties are the most important social capital in dealing with various problems, especially during the pandemic. The survey results show that people's confidence and belief in overcoming the pandemic (self-efficacy) have grown stronger.

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

Two pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates, Joko Widodo-KH Ma'ruf Amin, and Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno, together with the leaders of political parties and legislative candidates as well as the chairman of the General Elections Commission, Arief Budiman and the chairman of the Indonesian Elections Supervisory Body, Abhan, released pigeons during the Declaration of Peaceful Campaign for the 2019 Simultaneous Elections in National Monument Square, Jakarta, Sunday (23/9/2018). The event, which was also attended by representatives of political parties, and a number of legislative candidates declared an anti-politicization campaign for SARA, anti-money politics, and anti-hoax.

Thus far, the power of society has not dimmed. The Kompas R&D Survey of June 2022 has revealed that 64.1 percent of respondents believed that social relations in a residential community were still good. Almost a quarter of respondents even believed that they were improving. Conflicts among the members of a community, often expressed as disputes in a residential area, were rare.

However, the high social capital of communal ties during the pandemic becomes relative when it comes to individual political preferences. In politics, social ties that appear to be converging tend to diverge. Different preferences often give birth to divisions that have the potential for conflict.

Real divisions occurred in previous political contests. Political divisions resulting from different candidate preferences that rely on differences in social identities destroy social structures. Conflicts among individuals, among family members, and among community groups have often occurred during an election period.

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Ahead of the 2024 General Election, indications of social segregation based on political preferences are still visible at the community level, and are also a latent factor. The Kompas R&D survey confirms the potential for disaggregation in communities with conflicts that have yet to be fully resolved. In assessing the performance of the state Cabinet, for example, the supporters’ backgrounds greatly influence the outcomes of the assessment.

Survey respondents who voted for Joko Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin gave a positive assessment in the performance indicators for each Cabinet member. On the other hand, those who did not vote for the pair gave a negative assessment and also stated that Cabinet members failed to produce the expected performance. Even worse, this gulf has continued to widen over the eight years of surveying supporters and non-supporters.

The same condition exists in terms of preferred political parties. Differing political preferences frequently influence people's political actions. This shows that rational judgment becomes drowned in a sea of political emotions.

Social ties tend to emerge as the victim of the two sides of the divide that drains people's emotions. Therefore, in the midst of the strong political onslaught, various efforts must be made to prevent social ties from being torn apart. (LITBANG KOMPAS)

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.