Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has expressed confidence that Indonesians will not be swayed by identity politics in the run-up to the 2024 General Elections.

“I believe we (are committed) for long to avoid identity politics, and political differences, as well as differences on (preferred) presidential candidates, will not break this nation apart,” he said here on Saturday.

The vice president urged residents to remain united and be tolerant of others supporting different presidential candidates and political parties.

“I think we are experienced enough to avoid any conflicts and not promote identity politics for the sake of political campaigns,” he said.

Indonesians must not become divided by political preferences, particularly as they are accustomed to differences, even among residents who share a religious denomination.

“I often point out that we often had a different Eid al-Fitr day. Some conflicts and enmity had occurred at the grassroots level in past (Ramadan) fasting period, but now, residents no longer quarrel over different fasting dates. I believe the case will be the same in our politics, as past elections ought to make us mature,” Amin said.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo reminded that 2024 will be a crucial year for politics since Indonesia will host the simultaneous general elections that year, with residents casting their votes for the president, parliament members, governors, district heads and mayors, and regional legislature members at once.

At a consolidation meeting organized by the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Friday (December 2, 2022), Widodo emphasized that the 2024 General Election will be a huge event that will determine the future of the nation and serve as a “fiesta of democracy” involving a lot of voters.

According to the latest data, 189 million voters will participate in the 2024 elections, with polling stations scheduled to remain open for around 6 hours.

Source: Antara News