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| The portrait of the Faculty of Law Lecturer of UMM with other countries' representatives. (Photo: Istimewa) |
Youth political participation is the most significant part contributing to the portion of voters in Indonesia. Also, it is crucial in strengthening democracy in this country. However, the young generation's participation in a national election is still relatively low. It garnered the attention and aspiration of the Faculty of Law lecturer of UMM, Sholahuddin Al Fatih, S.H., M.H., which he delivered and discussed in the Democracy Defenders Accelerator (DDA) Bootcamp. The program held on March 27, 2023, in Estonia was organized by Citizen O.S., a Non-Governmental Organization.
The man known as Fatih says that low youth participation in a national election causes more extensive fraud because the right to vote, which should be filled, becomes empty; in other words, there is an abstention. Consequently, some parties can cheat. Fatih discussed the concern alongside 30 representatives from around the world.
"The program will steadily continue until this November through meetings. This event aims to support and empower more people to act in encountering democracy issues worldwide. Also, it is a means for young activists to share stories about democratic matters in each country," Fatih explained.
Further explaining, Fatih revealed democracy problems in Indonesia, which are not found in other countries. He finds that Germany has a democracy issue related to racial conflict in its governmental system. Then, the Netherlands has its democracy problem in digitalization. Meanwhile, Afghanistan has its issue related to expressing opinions justly.
"From the discussion, it is found that the main issue faced by various countries is the lack of awareness among young people worldwide to use social media. Then, the problem becomes the focus to tackle for the next one year," added Fatih.
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Uniquely, the program joined by Fatih was done coincidentally during Ramadan so that when fasting in Northern Europe, he experienced several culture shocks, such as finding halal foods and fasting for 16 hours.
"Alhamdulillah, through this program, I can acquire new things. God willing, I can implement it as a learning model in classrooms. Then, my knowledge about democracy improves," said Fatih.
Last but not least, Fatih expects more lecturers and students as well to participate in a similar event. In addition, the lecturer, who also serves as a staff member in International Cooperation Affairs, says that he is trying to do exploratory so that UMM and Citizen O.S. can establish cooperation. Not only with a related NGO but also in the future, UMM can collaborate with some campuses in Estonia. (imh/zak/wil)
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