UNAIR NEWS – Ahead of the 2024 general election (Pemilu), Febby Risti Widjayanto SIP MSc, a lecturer from Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) urged the public to be wise and cautious in choosing the presidential and vice-presidential candidates on Suara Surabaya FM 100 ‘Choose the right one, so you won’t be lost‘ radio program on Wednesday, Jan 17, 2024.
In the on-air discussion, host Fadil Rasyidi attempted to accommodate and facilitate the public interest in the conversation. One aspect highlighted in the discussion was the electability and popularity levels of each candidate pair.
“Electability and popularity are, in fact, efforts by candidate pairs to gain public attention. However, not all members of the public are aware of them,” said Febby.
Furthermore, Febby emphasized many factors that ultimately lead to the electability levels of the three candidate pairs, including the results of widely circulated surveys. However, she reiterated the importance of being cautious in accepting survey information.
Electability, popularity, and ethical considerations
Proceeding the discussion on electability and popularity, one listener also expressed their opinion. The listener, during a video call, mentioned that, in addition to electability and popularity, the public should also consider ethical considerations.
“I believe that electability surveys are just a reflection. I’d rather focus on the qualities of each candidate,” said one participant.
In this regard, Febby stated that surveys as an initial reference are indeed important. However, afterward, everyone has other tasks in delving deeper and making choices. There is currently no survey on the consistency of policies regarding ethical considerations.
“That’s something missing in surveys, the consistency in implementing policies, which is the key to making our final decision,” she explained.
Track record of candidates
Febby also added information about the track record of candidate pairs regarding unfulfilled promises. According to her, to regain public trust, it is necessary to explain the reasons why their programs were not implemented. She mentioned that there are undeniable factors contributing to this, including challenging regulations and immature studies.
“However, there are two sides to it. Some can accept it, and some cannot. For example, if someone has held office twice but hasn’t realized their promises, it will create different perceptions in society,” she concluded.
Author: Rosita
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
