The Center for Communication and Media Studies (P2KM) together with The Political Literacy Institute successfully held a national seminar and book discussion titled "Reading the 2024 Election Landscape: Perspectives on Political Literacy" at the Theater on the 2nd floor of the Fdikom UIN Jakarta Building on Friday (8/3).

The event was attended by various groups ranging from students to practitioners of Political Institutes. The national seminar and book discussion aimed to prioritize political literacy, especially among young adults.

The political literacy perspective at the event was attended by Gun Gun Heryanto, the Dean of the Faculty of Da'wah and Communication Sciences at UIN Jakarta, as the main speaker, while Deden Mauli Derajat gave a welcoming address to the seminar participants. Moreover, the event, which addressed the issue of political literacy, also featured several speakers such as Iding Rosyidin, Ana Sabhana Azmy, Fadli Ramadhanil, and Ike Kesuma.

"Our elections are something we must nurture. When the people are its representation, then these elections are not just important but also significant. And one of the pillars of elections is a society with participatory awareness," Gun Gun stated during his address.

The complexity of the election process, which may not be fully understood by all layers of society, was the background for organizing this event. Through the launch of the book "Reading the 2024 Election Landscape: Perspectives on Political Literacy," authored by him, Gun Gun aimed to empower public knowledge in engaging with one of the democratic processes, ensuring it is not merely mobilized but also empowered.

"We want to prioritize political literacy, especially among young people, because the election process is complex, involving various issues from upstream to downstream that many may not fully understand. While elections involve citizens who are required to participate, we hope that their participation comes with awareness and knowledge, not just being led or mobilized. Therefore, we believe that elections require a perspective of political literacy to empower citizens," Gun Gun explained during an interview with the DNK TV team on Friday (8/3).

Supporting the statement above, Iding Rosyidin, as one of the speakers at the event, also emphasized the need for public response in this election to be manifested through active participation in good political culture. He stated that in order to form a participatory society, it must be supported by good political culture, one of which is by enhancing existing political literacy.

With the presence of this event, Gun Gun, as the author, hopes to foster understanding among students that will eventually develop into awareness, leading to attitudes with national commitment.

"It is hoped that students will be much smarter, more critical, have greater capacity, knowledge, skills, and attitudes. From the book and discussions, understanding is also expected to emerge, and from that understanding, awareness arises, and from that awareness, behaviors that have a stronger commitment to the nation emerge," he said. (Reporter: Kesha Nathania/DNK TV)