Addressing the Politicization of Ethnic, Religious, and Racial Issues: Promoting Religious Freedom During General Elections (Indonesian)

Recent electoral events have provided important lessons regarding the need to address politicization and discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup relations (SARA). The 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election and the 2019 presidential election demonstrated that allowing politicization and discrimination to go unchecked can create tensions that threaten social cohesion. A spiral of violence has also emerged amid these social conditions, resulting in casualties, particularly among civilians.

The context of elections—as one of the arenas for police work—was deliberately chosen because, over the past half-decade, SETARA has documented that electoral politics is one of the critical focal points that disrupt the practice and advancement of tolerance and freedom of religion and belief in Indonesia.
The politicization of identity based on ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup relations (SARA) is a rampant phenomenon that clearly undermines and disrupts social harmony and national integration. Furthermore, the politicization of identity also victimizes SARA-based minority groups, which in turn restricts the equality of rights for all citizens—a principle enshrined in the ideals of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.

The police certainly play a significant role in addressing issues of identity politics in regional and general elections, as well as in restoring the social fabric torn apart by the politicization of identity. The police’s serious commitment, as demonstrated by the establishment of Satgas Nusantara—a special task force dedicated to addressing SARA-based politicization during electoral events—requires genuine support from all parties.

Therefore, the SETARA Institute has taken the initiative to develop a guide for the police on handling the politicization of SARA issues to promote religious freedom during general elections. These guidelines were developed in the spirit of public participation and prioritizing dialogue to prevent SARA-based conflicts. They also serve as an affirmation that the police—both individual officers and the institution as a whole—play a significant role in advancing freedom of religion and belief in Indonesia as a constitutional right of every citizen.

These guidelines provide an overview of the issues as well as practical steps that can be used by police officers at every level, including those who interact directly with the public. Police officers are equipped with an understanding of hate speech and discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup relations (SARA). In addition, the prevention and handling of politicization and discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup relations (SARA) during elections are presented as practical guidelines that police officers can adopt. In the concluding section, this guide also highlights several notes on policing practices aimed at ensuring safe, peaceful, and fair elections in Indonesia and around the world.