Legislative Candidate Data and Political Literacy
Iding Rosyidin
Recently there has been talk of asking the General Election Commission (KPU) to open profile data on legislative candidate members (candidates) who will contest in the 2024 elections. There are political parties that agree and say they are ready to open data on their legislative candidates. However, there are quite a few who don't seem willing to do so.
Opening data on legislative candidates so that it can be accessed by the widest public is certainly very important. This is so that the public knows exactly who they will choose to carry out the people's mandate, especially about their track record so far.
Political Literacy Perspective
The issue of disclosing data on legislative candidates is very interesting from a political literacy perspective. As explained by Carol A. Cassel and Cecilia C. Lo (1997), political literacy can also be called political expertise, political awareness and civic competence, which emphasizes potentials. on information-based political participation.
In other words, someone who is politically literate will understand basic political concepts and facts, political party differentiation, and so on. And when they participate in politics in various forms, such as engaging in public discussions, voting, and so on, they will do so substantively. For example, basing participation on valid information.
Of course, opening legislative candidate profile data to the public from a political literacy perspective is very appropriate from various aspects. First, the public will get valid information about legislative candidates because they get it from official institutions, namely the KPU. Assuming that the legislative candidate data submitted by the supporting political parties is correct.
Do the legislative candidates have sufficient qualifications and political capacity to become people's representatives or vice versa; Do you have the right achievements for the position of legislative candidate or have you ever been involved in unlawful acts such as having been a prisoner? All of this will be a reference for the public to vote.
Second, this step can be considered as a form of good political education from political parties to the public. If they are willing to do this, it is clear that political parties will be given a thumbs up because they have contributed to strengthening democracy, in this case substantive public political participation. That is truly what is expected from democracy.
Third, for the legislative candidates themselves, opening their data so that it can be accessed by the public from official institutions such as the KPU is actually more profitable. Instead of the public looking for data about legislative candidates from various sources of information, offline and online, which are not necessarily clear and valid, it would be better for them to get it from the KPU.
Political literacy itself has three levels or levels, namely cognitive, attitude and behavior. Cognitive is related to knowledge where the public is expected to have a variety of valid information about all political processes taking place, including data on legislative candidates or political actors in general.
Ideally, everyone who will participate in politics, including voting during elections, should get as much information as possible, of course valid, about the legislative candidates' data so that they know exactly who the legislative candidates are.
Don't let the public fall into the trap of choosing the cat in the sack, meaning they don't know who they will choose. As a result, the legislative candidates who will later be elected as people's representatives may not meet their expectations.
Meanwhile, the attitude level is related to feelings of pleasure/like or dislike, sympathy or antipathy, support or vice versa. Note that these attitudes emerge after the public has prior knowledge (cognitive level) about the legislative candidates.
So, if the KPU really opens up data on legislative candidates and all political parties support it, this information will actually give rise to attitudes among the public, whether they will like it or vice versa; etc.
Meanwhile, the behavioral level is more about the final action in the context of political literacy where the public is willing to vote, in this case the legislative candidates. In other words, the public casts their vote at the TPS based on the first two levels, knowing valid information about the legislative candidates, then appearing to like or support them, and finally being willing to vote or vote for them.
Rational Voter
The three levels of political literacy above, namely cognitive, attitude and behavior, are what can actually make voters rational voters. They vote for legislative candidates based more on valid information or knowledge about the vision, mission, work program and track record of the legislative candidates, then support and finally vote for them.
Unfortunately, this often happens in our country where the public immediately jumps to the second level. Namely the attitude of either supporting or not supporting legislative candidates without trying to find out first about the identities of the legislative candidates.
Especially if primordial ties are held by the public strongly, whether regarding regional similarities, ethnicity, religion, and so on. Information about legislative candidates is usually not considered too important because they immediately jump to their positions. This is what traditional voters usually do.
Therefore, there is no real reason for political parties in Indonesia not to support the move to open public data at the KPU so that it can be accessed as widely as possible by the public. As suppliers of political resources, political parties should provide resources that are capable of taking part in the world of politics. (FNH/ZM).
Iding Rosyidin is a lecturer at FISIP UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. The article was published on Thursday, November 16 2023 in the Jawapos.com Opinion Column. The article can be accessed at the link https://www.jawapos.com/opini/013291602/data-caleg-dan-literasi-politik