Program gets young into the swing of voting<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Suara kamu ngaruh banget! -- \"your voice counts a lot\" -- was
\nread and heard all over the west plaza area of Senayan sports
\ncomplex last week, amid the din of loud music and people's
\nchatter.<\/p>\n
Around the clock from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. last Saturday, MTV
\nIndonesia staged MTV Rock the Vote, a program aimed at educating
\nfirst-time voters for this year's presidential election, the
\nfirst direct election of the country's leader. People voted for
\ntheir legislative candidates on April 5 and will vote for
\npresidential candidates on July 5 (in the event that there is no
\nclear winner, a second round will be held on Sept. 20).<\/p>\n
Through music performances and other activities, the MTV
\naudience was coaxed to exercise their right to vote, to do it
\nright and nonviolently.<\/p>\n
\"This event is part of a series of programs we have in order
\nto educate young people, especially first-time voters aged
\nbetween 17 and 22 years old, which is also within the range of
\nour target audience,\" MTV Indonesia's communications manager
\nHaswati Handrazfil said.<\/p>\n
Performers, from noted local bands bip, Pas band and
\nSeurieus, to indie bands, singer Tere and popular Malaysian
\nrapper duo Too Phat, took part.<\/p>\n
Food stalls and booths where people could have tattoos, body
\npiercing and hair braiding were sprawled throughout the area.
\nOther activities included free style basketball, a fire juggler,
\na BMX attraction, capoeira, cheerleaders and dancers.<\/p>\n
From the stage, the artists and the hosts -- VJs Nirina and
\nArie -- provided a constant stream of information and messages
\nabout the election, like how to vote wisely instead of simply
\ngoing through the motions and picking any old candidate, and put
\non an election simulation on stage.<\/p>\n
Rock the Vote is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization which
\nwas established in 1990 in the United States to promote freedom
\nof speech and artistic expression.<\/p>\n
The organization engages youth in the political process by
\nincorporating the entertainment community and youth culture into
\nits activities, \"to make political participation cool\".<\/p>\n
The goal of the organization's campaigns and activities is to
\nincrease youth voter turnout. However, the work does not end when
\nthe polls close, as Rock the Vote wants to empower young people
\nto create positive social and political change in their lives and
\ncommunities.<\/p>\n
MTV is a permanent partner of Rock the Vote, and MTV US has
\ntwo other programs to increase youth political participation: MTV
\nChoose or Lose and MTV Fight for Your Rights.<\/p>\n
Here in Indonesia, the Rock the Vote program began in the
\nmiddle of March, and is a joint venture between MTV Indonesia,
\nthe General Elections Committee (KPU), the United Nations
\nDevelopment Program (UNDP) and corporate partners.<\/p>\n
\"We had a similar program in the Philippines recently, and it
\nwas successful. We believe that people have the right to exercise
\ntheir right. The idea is to come together and have fun. It's part
\nof the process for leadership of the country,\" said Lesley
\nDesker, MTV Indonesia's content and creative director.<\/p>\n
Messages and technical information, as well as PSAs about the
\nelections in teen lingo, are frequently aired on MTV Indonesia or
\nspread through the station's off-air activities.<\/p>\n
The channel also interviews people all over the country or
\nIndonesians living abroad for their opinions and to gauge what
\nthey know about the elections.<\/p>\n
\"This program, however, is not a means for a presidential or
\nparty campaign. From the very beginning, we have insisted that it
\nis an educational program for first-time voters, not a campaign.
\nSo, there will be no flyers or brochures on presidential
\ncandidates,\" said KPU member Valina Singka Subekti.<\/p>\n
According to Valina, the number of first-time voters in this
\nyear's election is significant, with around 22.1 million voters
\nregistered for the legislative election.<\/p>\n
There has been an increase of some 700,000 people for July's
\npresidential election, or a total of around 22.8 million first-
\ntime voters.<\/p>\n
There were over 147 million people eligible to vote across the
\ncountry in the April 5 election, and 154 million people for the
\nJuly 5 election.<\/p>\n
\"The number of first-time voters is significant and
\ninfluential, that's why KPU pays a lot of attention to it. We
\nneed MTV to reach them, so that they do it right.. It's more
\nabout technical problems,\" Valina said.<\/p>\n
MTV's role, she added, was especially important in reducing
\nthe number of invalid votes, which was estimated at around 8.8
\npercent nationwide in the April 5 election.<\/p>\n
\"There has yet to be research showing which age group
\ncontributes more to the number of invalid votes. However, we hope
\nthat first-time voters don't contribute much to the numbers,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Reaching 13 million households, MTV is a powerful media for
\nyoung people, and an estimated 40,000 people visited the Senayan
\nevent.<\/p>\n
The effectivity of Rock the Vote in getting young people out
\nto polling stations has yet to be measured in qualitative number,
\nbut according to Haswati, it seems that young people's awareness
\nhas increased from the off-air activities.<\/p>\n
Still, many of those interviewed by the station were unaware
\nof the election dates, and those in the audience for the music
\nperformances said they were not aware of the Rock the Vote
\nprogram either.<\/p>\n
\"I just came here to see the bands,\" said Alfred, 16.<\/p>\n
Like Alfred, Rully, 23, also came merely to see the
\nperformances. \"But I vote, of course. Because I feel like I have
\nthe right to vote,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Successful or not, the program is a good start to increase
\nyouth political participation. The last thing we need is an
\napathetic younger generation whose main choice is which mall to
\nhang out at.<\/p>\n
i-box:<\/p>\n
MTV Rock the Vote will be aired at 9 p.m. on MTV Indonesia on
\nJune 20, 27 and July 4.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/program-gets-young-into-the-swing-of-voting-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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