“It may be that the election is fair, the results are acceptable, the KPU can be the arbiter and can find problems, but still we need the media so that the election process runs more transparently. The media helps voters make wiser choices, because apart from the media covering the promises of the candidates, the media also writes about important things such as the agenda setting of the elites,”-Cherian George, Southeast Asia Media and Politics expert at Hongkong Baptist University.
Cherian gave an academic lecture at the Regional Conference “The Role of Journalism in Supporting Democratic Elections” in Jakarta (11/26) which was held by Regional Support for Elections and Political Transitions (Respect). Respect is a five-year regional program run by the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) and the Association for the Development of Nusantara Media (PPMN). The Respect programs are supported by USAID-Washington DC to promote the democratization of elections in the Asia-Pacific region.
In his lecture, Cherian emphasized the importance of the media's role in guarding the peaceful change of leaders. He considered that, in the midst of democracy in Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, which were declining due to increasing cases of intolerance during elections, it was important for the media to remind the public to maintain tolerance in order to maintain the inclusiveness of all citizens living in democratic countries. The media should not be trapped by high news ratings about who wins and who loses.
“Even in some strong democratic countries, democracy is critical. As in Vietnam, there is a lack of tolerance. Likewise in Indonesia and Malaysia. The media must help the public understand that elections are democratic and do not sacrifice the rights of minorities,” said Cherian.
Covering the election is like covering a football match. There are too many comments. The media is expected to be able to carry out its function as one of the pillars of democracy by presenting news based on the perspective of caring for democracy. One of the important things to write about, according to Cherian, is the fulfillment of the campaign promises of the elected candidates.
Freedom of the press challenges in Thailand and Indonesia
At the same forum, senior Khaosod English-Thai writer Pravit Rojanaphruk was also present. He recounted the condition of the press in Thailand, stating that the work of journalists was successful in encouraging democratic elections even though many of the public were disappointed with the election law as the rules of the game in elections.
“In Thailand there is still a debate whether the election is democratic, because the rules of the election game are still written by the government itself. So, in the election, those who support the electoral law and those who reject it are really obvious,” said Pravit.
During a time when the military regime was powerful, Pravit and 899 other journalists were imprisoned for not reporting on the election properly. Election journalists are prosecuted by law, as well as political journalists if they are found criticizing the government in their writings.
Bans against journalists also often occur. Especially to journalists from media labeled as anti-government. It is not uncommon for journalists to have to disguise themselves to cover events organized by the Thai prime minister. Fortunately, said Pravit, there are some people who don't believe in the electoral process. This urges the government to provide more space for journalists to cover the election.
"This is like an advantage for the press that triggers the public to ask for freedom of election coverage to a militaristic government," said Pravit.
In Indonesia, election coverage challenges also occur. In the midst of strong political polarization, there was an incident of banning coverage of journalists from the media who were identified as media supporting the Joko Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin candidate pair by the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno campaign team (Tirto.id, 28 November 2018) ). Violence against journalists also occurred during a demonstration on May 22, 2019 in front of the General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) building. This time, violence against journalists was carried out by the police (CNNindonesia.com, 28 May 2019).
Covering elections in the midst of sharp political polarization is not an easy task. Reporting that is considered one-sided against one candidate can provoke anger or bullying from the other party. The research results of the Kompas Daily Research Division in 2019 showed that out of 500 respondents, only 38% believed that media coverage was neutral. Another 40% believe media coverage is for the benefit of the media owner group.
“Di sosial media, sangat ramai terjadi pemboikotan terhadap media. Salah satu korbannya adalah Kompas. Salah satu ketua partai politik mengatakan orang yang menyerang Kompas adalah bagian dari politisi yang tidak puas dengan hasil pemilu, tapi kami berusaha untuk baik-baik saja,” ujar Kepala Editor Kompas Harian, Ninuk Pambudy.
Data dari Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH) Pers, terdapat 37 kasus kekerasan terhadap jurnalis yang meliput Pemilu sepanjang 2017 hingga Oktober 2019. 18 diantaranya mendapatkan kekerasan saat meliput aksi demonstrasi 22 Mei. Kekerasan yang dialami jurnalis berupa kekerasan fisik, kekerasan verbal, perampasan ponsel pribadi, dan penghapusan foto atau video yang diambil oleh jurnalis (Laporan Proyeksi Masyarakat Sipil atas Situasi 5 Tahun Kedepan LBH Pers, 2019).
Demonstrasi 22 Mei dilakukan oleh pendukung paslon Prabowo-Sandi yang meyakini adanya kecurangan terstruktur, sistematis, dan masif dalam Pemilu Serentak 2019. Adapun demonstrasi terjadi setelah penetapan hasil rekapitulasi Pemilu 2019 diumumkan oleh KPU RI pada 21 Mei 2019 dini hari(Republika, 23 Mei 2019).
Terjadinya kekerasan terhadap jurnalis di pemilu merupakan potret dari masih minimnya kesadaran para pihak, termasuk aparat kepolisian, terhadap kebebasan pers dan pekerja media. Padahal, publik mengandalkan laporan dari para jurnalis untuk mengetahui kabar seputar tahapan dan proses pemilu, juga informasi seputar kandidat. Pada Pemilu Serentak 2019, di tingkat nasional, terdapat dua paslon presiden-wakil presiden, 7.968 calon anggota legislatif (caleg) Dewan Perwakil (DPR) RI(IDN Times, 15 April 2019), dan 807 caleg Dewan Perwakilan Daerah (DPD) RI(Detik News, 20 September 2018).
“Journalism and elections are the most important instruments in democracy. So journalists who cover elections must be given freedom and protection in order to work well in producing quality journalistic reports,” concluded PPMN Executive Director, Eni Mulia.
In order to appreciate the work of journalists who have served during the election, Respect awarded the 2019 ExcEl Awards. There are about a hundred works that have entered the jury consisting of Bambang Harymurti (Indonesia), Tessa Bacalla (Philippines), Khin Maung Soe (Myanmar), Cherian George (Singapore), and Pravit Rojanaphruk (Thailand).
For the feature/in-depth report category, Arkhelaus Wisnu Triyogo and Danang Firmanto from Koran Tempo won the first prize. The second winner was Dieqy Hasbi Widhana from Tirto.id. There was also a special award for the in-depth category, which was given to Agnes Theodora from Kompas Daily.
For the investigative category, Karol Ilagan and Malaou Mangahas from the Phillippine Center for Investigative (PCIJ) won first place. The second position was won by Khalida Meyliza from Kompas TV.
Respect also held a commentary category, but none of the registrants managed to win this category. The judges gave a special award for Brita Putri Utami's writing from Solider.id.
"Through the 2019 ExcEl Awards, we would like to appreciate the work of journalists who have been faithful to present election news in their respective countries. We realize that a professional media is important to foster democracy and promote the goals of a participatory, inclusive and accountable election,” concluded Respect CoP, Theresia Joyce Damayanti.
References
CNN Indonesia. Jurnalis Laporkan Kasus Kekerasan Aparat Saat Aksi 22 Mei. News in https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20190528144402-12-399136/jurnalis-laporkan-kasus-kekerasan-aparat-saat-aksi-22-mei. Accessed on 2 December 2019.
Detik News. Minus OSO, 807 Orang Berebut Kursi DPD RI. News in https://news.detik.com/berita/d-4221401/minus-oso-807-orang-berebut-kursi-dpd-ri. Accessed on 2 December 2019.
IDN Times. 5 Fakta Pemilu 2019, Dari Jumlah Caleg, Pemilih, hingga TPS. News in https://www.idntimes.com/news/indonesia/adrian-permana-putra/5-fakta-pemilu-2019-dari-jumlah-caleg-pemilih-hingga-tps/full.
Laporan Proyeksi Masyarakat Sipil atas Situasi 5 Tahun Kedepan LBH Pers, 2019. Report not published.
Republika.co.id. MUI Yakin Kerusuhan Bukan Dilakukan Pengunjuk Rasa. News in https://www.republika.co.id/berita/nasional/politik/ps4dwu328/dunia-islam/islam-nusantara/19/05/23/prxwn6384-mui-yakin-kerusuhan-bukan-dilakukan-pengunjuk-rasa. Accessed on 2 December 2019.
Tirto.id. Duduk Perkara Pemboikotan Metro TV dari Kubu Prabowo-Sandi. News in https://tirto.id/duduk-perkara-pemboikotan-metro-tv-dari-kubu-prabowo-sandi-daxd. Accessed on 2 December 2019.
