Indonesiantalk.com — “Digital Media Association of Indonesia (AMDI) Declares Neutrality in Supporting Three Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates”
Political developments in Indonesia are heating up as the 2024 Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election (Pilpres) draws nearer. The General Election Commission (Komisi Pemilihan Umum or KPU) officially announced three pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates on Friday, October 27, 2023.
The pairs of Ganjar-Mahfud MD, Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and Anies Baswedan-Cak Imin have been declared as eligible contestants by the KPU after undergoing both physical and mental health examinations on the same day.
Hasyim Asy’ari, the Chairman of KPU, stated that all the presidential and vice-presidential candidate pairs possess the qualifications to carry out their duties as leaders of the nation if elected.
In addition to meeting health requirements, the presidential and vice-presidential candidates have also been declared free from drug abuse. This is a crucial step in ensuring the integrity and quality of the potential leaders of the nation.
In this moment, the leadership of the Digital Media Association of Indonesia (Asosiasi Media Digital Indonesia or AMDI), consisting of S.S. Budi Raharjo (Chairman), Edi Winarto (Secretary-General), and Asri Hadi (Treasurer and Advisor), has once again taken a neutral stance, as they did in previous periods.
They have granted freedom to AMDI members to express their personal support for any of the candidate pairs.
In their statement, AMDI Chairman S.S. Budi Raharjo, commonly known as Budijojo, stated, “Therefore, we allow AMDI members to take a stance; if the press must remain neutral and uphold integrity in reporting. As a side note, let’s avoid creating hoaxes and provocations.”
This demonstrates their commitment to maintaining integrity in digital media coverage during the 2024 Pilpres campaign. They hope that AMDI members will adhere to ethical and professional journalism principles.
Asri Hadi added, “If any of the three candidate pairs wish to promote or place advertisements on the websites of AMDI members, they are welcome to do so.” This showcases AMDI’s openness to all candidate pairs and emphasizes the importance of supporting the celebration of democracy with enthusiasm.
The leadership of the Digital Media Association of Indonesia views the three pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates as the nation’s finest sons who aspire to build a just, prosperous, and sovereign country.
Although they have not yet provided collective support, the high regard for neutrality upheld by AMDI is an effort to preserve the quality of reporting and to carry out journalistic duties with utmost integrity in facing the 2024 Pilpres.
As the election date draws closer, it will be interesting to see whether AMDI’s neutrality will remain intact or whether one of the candidate pairs will manage to secure the support of one of Indonesia’s prominent digital media outlets.
At present, they remain focused on the principle of integrity in reporting this democratic event to the public.
