UNAIR NEWS – Approaching the election year, the surge of public figures registering as prospective legislative candidates for the upcoming 2024 elections has caught significant attention. This phenomenon is seen as a vote-getting strategy employed by endorsing political parties to leverage these celebrities’ fame.

Adequate political education

Political communication expert Dr. Suko Widodo, Drs., MSi from Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), shared his professional view. He underlined the increasing number of celebrities who joined political parties to run for the elections. Therefore, the candidates must have adequate political education.

“Political parties must provide political education as part of the recruitment process for their members. Especially if the celebrities solely rely on their fame without possessing an adequate level of understanding,” said the Political Communication lecturer at the Communication Department, the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences.

Popularity to attract voters

The fame of celebrities will also increase the popularity of political parties. The factor adds brownie points to gain more attention and votes. However, there is no guarantee of consistently significant results solely based on popularity in terms of obtaining votes.

”I think the celebrity has what it takes; fame and popularity. In politics, both are highly important, even if it doesn’t guarantee any votes,” said Suko.

Political communication strategies

He believed it was an instant, attention-grabbing strategy. Being a quinquennial agenda, a political party’s campaign must arrange meticulous plans.

“The party is not fulfilling its role in political communication, particularly in conducting regular political communication activities. The function of political parties is not managed professionally. Political parties should create strategies as early as possible for their next steps on a daily basis,” he concluded.

Author: Satriyani Dewi Astuti