Expert links riots during campaign to information gap
JAKARTA (JP): An expert attributes recent election-related unrest in various parts of Indonesia to a gap in political communication channels.
M. Alwi Dahlan, the chief of the BP7, an agency in charge of public education on state ideology Pancasila, said Saturday that these gaps occurred when people did not have access to accurate information to counter provocative rumors within the community.
"Many people are misinformed. At the same time, there is a glut of 'empty' or even incorrect information," he said in a press conference following his induction as a professor in University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Sciences.
He was quoted by Antara as saying the situation was exploited by politicians to further their interests. "Political information is often initiated by politicians as the bait for debates which (polarize people). This is what politically uneducated people don't understand."
He warned against allowing the debates and controversy to escalate to the point where people become irrational and act based on emotion.
"Political communication is often marked by maneuvers or manipulation of information," he said.
In the 27-day campaign preceding the May 29 general election, riots and clashes occurred in many parts of the country. One of the biggest riots took place on May 23, the last official campaigning day, in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, where 123 people were killed when a department store was set on fire.
Analysts have called this year's campaign the most violent in the more than 30-year history of the New Order government.
Saturday's induction was attended by academics and government officials, including Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono.
In "Even Distribution of Information, Communication and Development" which he read at the ceremony, Alwi stated that equitable distribution of development was possible with even distribution of information to the public.
Alwi also said economic growth was viable with access to complete, accurate and sophisticated information available throughout the development process.
"Information is money which can be used to enrich wealth of information and, in turn, acquire greater material wealth," he said.
He said financial markets, as well as corruption and collusion, could flourish from the way information is used. Conversely, use of information could also combat corruption and collusion, he added.
Dynamic stability, another component in development, can only be maintained and striven for through mastery of information about developments affecting the environment as a whole, he said. Otherwise, it could threaten or disrupt development.
He said even distribution of development was possible through equitable information and communications.
Without this, information gaps could hamper the implementation of democracy, cause unrest, create suspicions among different groups and spark misleading rumors within the political realm.
He cited author Daniel Bell's statement that information was knowledge in the post-industrial society nearing the 21st century, adding that the society's super elite were scientists, researchers and engineers.
He said information society had grown rapidly due to advances in computer technology and communications.
He said equitable distribution of access to information, technology, communications and information infrastructure and opportunities to communicate were important to address Indonesia's information gap on a global front. (01)