The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada (Fisipol UGM) once again hosted a public discussion forum on the conduct of general elections (pemilu).
On Tuesday (Jul. 22), Fisipol UGM hosted the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) and the General Election Commission (KPU) of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. This was to discuss the increasingly complex challenges and dynamics of the election process.
This discussion highlighted various strategic issues, including campaign systems, political funding, and the impact of digital technology on the election process.
This activity is part of the campus’s effort to continuously facilitate cross-sectoral dialogue to strengthen Indonesia’s electoral democracy.
Vice Dean for Cooperation, Research, and Community Service at Fisipol UGM, Dr. Fina Itriyati, emphasized the importance of academic contributions in the election system reform process.
She stated that collaboration between universities and election organizers is crucial in building policies based on data and in-depth analysis.
Dr. Itriyati added that the campus needs to be a safe space for criticizing and formulating solutions to various contemporary democratic problems.
“Collaboration like this is very important to ensure that election policies are not only responsive to practical needs but also have a strong academic foundation,” Dr. Itriyati revealed.
The 2024 elections are considered to have shown several improvements compared to previous implementations, yet they also present new challenges that need to be anticipated.
The increasingly dominant role of digital media has consequences for information quality and election integrity.
Hoaxes, misinformation, artificial intelligence technology, and hate speech pose serious threats to the principles of openness and fairness in elections.
Therefore, strengthening regulations and increasing public political literacy are urgent agendas for the future.
Chair of Bawaslu DIY, Mohammad Najib, welcomed the partnership with Fisipol UGM as a strategic step to improve the election supervision system.
He believes that universities have an important capacity in providing critical and alternative perspectives in election policy design.
Najib also emphasized the importance of building more open participation channels between election bodies and the academic community.
“We hope that input from UGM academics can enrich our policy formulation process going forward, especially in improving the quality of democracy at both local and national levels,” Najib said.
The discussion was intense and substantive, dissecting the implementation of the 2024 elections from various angles.
It also formulated future partnership opportunities. Some key issues raised included the redrawing of electoral districts, transparency of campaign funding, and the dynamic regulatory challenges amid political changes.
This forum also served as a space for reflection to strengthen the role of academics as guardians of justice and integrity principles in the election process.
With open discussions like this, Fisipol UGM demonstrates its commitment to fostering sustainable institutional reform.
The meeting among Fisipol UGM, Bawaslu, and KPU DIY emphasized the importance of cross-sectoral synergy in fostering a healthy and inclusive democracy.
This collaboration is hoped not to stop at dialogue but to be realized in the form of joint research, training programs, and the formulation of participatory public policies.
As an educational institution, UGM remains committed to bridging the gap between scientific and practical interests to create transparent and equitable election governance.
This initiative serves as an initial step in building a knowledge-based democratic ecosystem rooted in national values.
Author: Tasya
Editor: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya