UNS – The Center for Democracy and National Resilience Studies (Pusdemtanas) of the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held the 3rd International Conference for Democracy and National Resilience 2023 (ICDNR). This year, ICDNR focused on the theme “Election Integrity: A Framework for Guaranteeing The Democratic Rights and Fairness in the Modern Era”. The chosen theme aligns with the current political situation in Indonesia, as the 2024 general election approaches. This conference received participation from 17 countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Sudan, Somalia, Timor-Leste, France, Vietnam, Tanzania, and Indonesia.
The 3rd ICDNR featured several notable speakers, including Prof. Dr. H. Anwar Usman, S.H., M.H. as the keynote speaker. He is the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia. The main speakers included Prof. Glasser Henning Raeiner from the German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance; Prof. Dr. Khoo Ying Hooi from the University of Malaya, Malaysia; Dr. Sunny Ummul Firdaus, S.H., M.H. from Universitas Sebelas Maret Indonesia; and Dr. Rahmat Bagja, SH., LL.M., Chairman of the General Election Supervisory Agency Indonesia. The event was moderated by Kukuh Tejomurti, S.H., LL.M. from UNS.
The event was opened by Prof. Dr. Kuncoro Diharjo, S.T., M.T. as the Acting Vice Rector for Research and Innovation UNS. In his opening remarks, he expressed gratitude to the speakers and participants from various countries who attended and contributed to ICDNR 2023.
“This season, ICDNR addresses the topic of democracy, which is the current political condition in Indonesia, approaching the 2024 general election. We hope the speakers can provide insights for all of us and offer new perspectives that can contribute to the field of education,” Prof. Kuncoro added.
The agenda included presentations from the speakers and a discussion session. The keynote speaker, Prof. Anwar, discussed the role of the Constitutional Court in resolving election disputes (PHPU). He emphasized that general elections are constitutional mechanism for the people to determine national leadership succession. The electoral process is a crucial requirement for a country to declare itself a democracy. Without elections, there is no democracy, and without democracy, there is no people’s sovereignty in the governance process. Hence, the electoral process is considered a democratic celebration for the people.
“We can be thankful that the electoral process has been designed better, especially in terms of campaign scheduling. The election fervor is not as extreme as it was in the 2019 elections, which lasted nearly a year before the actual voting. Excessive and provocative use of social media has also decreased significantly. This means that the 2024 election process can be considered more mature than before. The public, in a wise manner, has become more discerning in selecting and receiving information,” Prof. Anwar explained. Humas UNS