'Pilah Pilih' Pro-Environmental Leaders for 2024 Election

MOSAIC-INDONESIA.COM, JAKARTA -- Pilkada will be held simultaneously in 37 provinces on November 27, 2024. The 2024 Local Election, which will select a candidate for regional head from the level of mayor/deputy mayor, deputy/deputy regent to governor/deputy governor, is facing a campaign phase that will take place from September 25 to November 23, 2024. 

The Election Commission (KPU) estimates that of the 204 million citizens on the voter list, youth  constitute the majority of them with  of 55 percent. In order to accommodate young people's votes, the Vote Leave initiative emerged, which has a vision so that young people are not only beeing targets, especially for identity politics in elections.

Tsabita Sekarlintang, Pilah Pilih activist revealed that this initiative is a platform to voice concerns from youth in demanding leaders who are pro-environment. She said that the choice of leader is judged to have an impact on the lives around us, given that Indonesia is a vulnerable country with various environmental problems such as air pollution in large cities, floods, water crises, and forest fires.

In the 2024 Presidential Election, Pilah Pilih  invited young Muslims across Indonesia to voice their aspirations through the pilahpilih.id survey and discuss through Pilah Pilih roadshow in various cities like Malang, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Purwokerto and Siak.

In one month, the pilahpilih.id survey reached 1034 respondents from 34/38 provinces in Indonesia. The results of the survey reveal that 9 out of 10 young people are concerned about climate issues. Departing from the results of the survey, Pilahelect accommodates the aspirations of young people: “For leaders who are pro-climate, just vote!” From the results of the survey, Pilah Select issued recommendations of leaders from an environmental perspective and Islamic values for the 2024 elections. We also invite young people to choose according to four frameworks:

1. See mission vision

2. Observe the track record

3. Choose substance, not gimmick

4. Choose principles, not FOMO

In the 2024 election, the Election Committee focused on two provinces, namely West Sumatra and West Java. In West Sumatra, Pilah Select together with the Student Executive Board (BEM) of Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP) organized the event Alek Demorasi X Pilah Select 2024 at Hotel Basko, Padang City, on Monday (7/9/2024).

The regional chief candidates such as Vasco Ruseimy, S.T., H. Epyardi Asda, M.M., and H. Ekos Albar, S.E., M.M attended the event. The event raised themes relevant to the challenges faced especially in West Sumatra, namely “Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Equitable Clean Energy, and Disaster Mitigation”.

UNP Student President, Prima Yoga, said that the main goal of this activity is to provide a space for prospective regional leaders to present their work programs transparently, while increasing voter turnout in Sumbar.

“Through this event, students and the community of Sumbar can assess firsthand the ideas of each candidate for governor and vice governor on how they will lead Sumbar over the next five years. This is in line with our mission, which is to sort and choose,” Prima Yoga said.

The event was also broadcast live through Padang TV, so that the people of Sumbar, both those present on site and who watched online, can participate in this activity. Alek Democracy X presents two pairs of candidates for governor and deputy governor, namely Epyardi Asda - Ekos Albar and Mahyeldi - Vasko Ruseimy, as participants in the 2024 Sumbar elections.

“We want to provide an open platform for prospective leaders to lay out their ideas in detail, as well as to give people the opportunity to engage in open dialogue. Especially for us students, this is an opportunity to get to know the future leaders better,” explains Prima Yoga.

Meanwhile, UNP Rector, Prof. Ganefri, who was present as a panelist, confirmed that this event was not a campaign event, but an academic forum purely organized by students. According to Ganefri, these activities provide great benefits in increasing voter turnout and introducing the candidates' mission vision to the public.

Ganefri also stressed that Sumbar needs strong and innovative leadership in order to surpass the laggards of other provinces. According to him, this kind of dialogue can reveal the advantages and disadvantages of each candidate, which ultimately helps the community determine the best choice.

One of the participants of the event, Jerita Welani who is a student from the Faculty of Economics and Business of UNP, gave her response to the theme raised. “In my opinion, the themes raised are very interesting and relevant to the issues currently facing in West Sumatra,” he said.

Jabar local elections

Pilah Pilih program will next be held in West Java. Tsabita revealed that this time the Select Committee will hold some kind of discussion to respond to the second debate that will take place on November 16. According to Tsabita, it will cooperate with the Election Trail Consortium, a coalition that includes many organizations and youth communities from West Java.

“We want the event to be nobles. somewhat different, later the topics will correspond to the demands of Jabar residents,” Tsabita said.