Sepekan – The “Gerakan Coblos Semua” (Gercos) movement currently making waves in Indonesia’s political landscape is a mass political stance. It is not just undertaken by Anies’ supporters, known as Anak Abah, but by all citizens dissatisfied with the current state of affairs.
Political Communication Analyst and Chairman of the Anies Baswedan (ABW) Support Network said this to KBA News on Thursday, September 19, 2004. Gercos manifests in two forms: either voting for all candidates or abstaining from voting on election day.
In his view, Gercos is similar to the “Golongan Putih” (Golput) or White Group, a protest movement that emerged in the 1970s when Arief Budiman called for rejecting the 1971 elections, which he believed were rigged in favor of Golkar.
“Although the political implications are the same, Gercos cannot be directly linked to Anak Abah. It has become a widespread awareness among voters in almost all regions of Indonesia holding regional elections. Elections are divided into three categories: gubernatorial, mayoral, and regency elections,” said the alumnus of UNJ and IISIP Lenteng Agung.
He added that this phenomenon occurs due to disappointment and apathy toward democratic practices in Indonesia, especially in the Jakarta regional elections. The regime has acted dishonorably and unethically to prevent Anies from running in the Jakarta election.
High Electability
“The reality is that Anies’ supporters are numerous, in line with his high electability. Together, the supporters known as Anak Abah carry out Gercos, which has also resonated with the general electorate,” he further explained.
Therefore, a general societal awareness has developed in tandem with Anak Abah’s stance. Gercos represents the political rights of every free and sovereign citizen, which must be respected. “Whether this political stance will be effective and successful, we’ll see on election day,” said the energetic woman in a hijab.
She emphasized that Gercos is one way for people to express their political aspirations without being dictated to by the regime. It is a form of mass protest against the regime’s excessive and banal actions.
“This cannot be subjected to legal or criminal proceedings because it is a political right inherent to the people that must be respected. Respect for the law must be proportional to societal awareness of their political rights,” stated Arini Soemardi.
