Jakarta, June 12 (Antara) - Many electronic, print, and online media
publications are biased and even help publicize black or negative
campaigns in the current presidential race between Prabowo
Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla pairs.
Observers criticized the media for not maximally facilitating the
public to make the best choice. The media do not provide adequate
information with regard to candidates' capacities, vision, mission and
their plan of action to tackle the nation's problems.
"The basic function of the media is to assist the public and provide
them with substantial information on the presidential and vice
presidential candidates. But, some media outlets did not play this role
maximally," Erwan Agus Purwanto of the Yoyakarta-based Gajah Mada
University stated on Wednesday.
Erwan emphasized that the public needs to learn and explore the
capabilities of the candidates. The media should reflect this
information objectively and comprehensively in their publications.
Regrettably, many publications failed to do this job. They are even
inclined to showcase black and negative campaigns by supporters of the
two presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs.
The public, therefore, should be able to hold various media
publications to task regarding the information they provide on
presidential and vice presidential candidates.
"The public must cleverly filter the information provided by the media
in the current election campaigns. They should be selective in taking
media reference, let alone if the media concerned have indications they
are biased to certain candidates," Erwan remarked in Yogyakarta on
Wednesday.
According to Erwan, the public are now able to identify several media
outlets, which are clearly biased to a certain candidate, and thus, they
will be able to map out the information easily.
"There
are a number of television stations that are explicitly taking sides
with certain candidates. The public can easily see this," he pointed
out.
Thus, Erwan is of the viewpoint that the public must be able to
identify the basic potentials of the candidates for handling Indonesia's
problems in the future, such as the challenge of the ASEAN Economic
Community, and how far can the candidates overcome conflict, intolerance
and negotiate with foreign parties.
"This should be the focus of attention," he asserted.
In
this regard, sociologist Nia Elvina of the Jakarta-based National
University (Unas) stressed that the success teams of the presidential
candidates must focus their campaigns on the basis of willingness to
introduce the candidates' vision and mission or the programs that they
will carry out when elected as the president.
"It is the vision and mission that the public will use to judge the
activities of the President later on. It will also serve as a basis for
the public to re-elect the incumbent if the President nominates himself
as a candidate for the next term," noted Nia Elvina, who is also a
member of the Village Study Researchers Group of the University of
Indonesia (UI).
"But, I see what happens now is that there is a tendency where both
camps of the candidates have launched unhealthy campaigns," Nia added.
Nia said that campaigns, based on vision and mission, will facilitate
the public to make the best choice to vote because they hope that the
candidates they choose will be able to meet their expectations.
"So,
both camps should not trade accusations with each other without
objective facts as what has happened now," she stressed, adding that
campaigning of this kind should be immediately stopped.
After all, baseless slanders and black and negative campaigns will not
benefit the country in its efforts to build democracy and neither will
it provide correct information to the public.
Black campaigns can even adversely benefit rivals. According to
communications expert, Prof. Dr Alo Liliweri of the University of Nusa
Cendana (Undana), black campaigns launched through the social media will
adversely boost the electability of rival candidates.
In this context, black campaigns addressed to the Prabowo-Hatta duo or
against the Jokowi-JK pair will raise their electability.
The Prabowo-Hatta team is nominated by the alliance of the Greater
Indonesia Movement (Gerindra), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the
United Development Party (PPP), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the
Golkar Party, and the Crescent and Star Party (PBB).
The Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla (Jokowi-JK) pair is nominated by the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), the National Democrat
Party (NasDem), the National Awakening Party (PKB), and the People's
Conscience Party (Hanura).
Alo stated that in terms of political ethics, black campaigning against
a rival by the support of a camp is not the right way to increase the
electability of its candidate. Yet, black campaign is inevitable for
those who are keen to bring victory to their candidates at any cost.
They
try all means in line with the information and technological progress
now available. Social media, among others, has become one of the key
ways to propagate black and negative campaigns.
"In
the current presidential election, we have only two presidential and
vice presidential pairs to vote for to choose as the leaders of our
nation. Therefore, the supporters of both sides exert every means to
bring victory to their candidates," Dr Alo Liliweri added.
Yet, black campaign can adversely raise the electability of rivals. Alo
Liliweri cited two examples of black campaigns. The first example was
the accusation by former chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN)
A.M. Hendropriyono against Prabowo. Hendropriyono said Prabowo, who is
the former commandant general of the Army's elite Special Force
(Kopassus), suffered from psychopathic and mental disorders.
The other example, Alo pointed out was the negative campaign addressed
to Joko Widodo who was said to be a Chinese descendant with the name,
Heribertus Joko Widodo.
"The camps of the two candidates
launched black campaigns for character assassinations of their rival
candidates. But, in fact, the black campaigns will raise the
electability of the attacked rivals," he reiterated.
The same viewpoint was also shared by Idrus Marham, the secretary
general of the Golkar Party, one of the alliance members of the parties
supporting the Prabowo-Hatta team.
With regard to negative campaigns, Idrus emphasized that details of a
document being leaked out by certain circles confirming Prabowo
Subianto's dismissal from the military can even raise the public's
empathy since he has explained his past encounters with human rights
issues.
"Mr Prabowo adequately explained the human rights matter during the
first presidential candidate debate on Monday. So, the leakage of the
document on the recommendation of the military's Officers Honorary
Council (DKP) for his dismissal from the military in 1998 can raise
empathy and sympathy from the public," Idrus stated on Wednesday.
The DKP had issued a recommendation for the dismissal of Prabowo, who
was then a commandant general of the Army's elite Special Force
(Kopassus), at a time when he was considered responsible for the
disappearance of activists during the reform movement in 1998.
According to Idrus, presidential candidate Prabowo had claimed
responsibility, adding that he had made a commitment to uphold human
rights.
"Mr Prabowo explained about the human rights issue and expressed his
commitment to upholding it. He even acknowledged he was responsible. I
think that is extraordinary," Idrus added.
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(T.A014/INE/o001)
EDITED BY INE
(T.SYS/A/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 12-06-2014 13 |
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