Hope Campaign Promises Are Fulfilled

Only 55.9 percent of respondents expressed confidence that the new regional head would fulfill campaign promises. This means that nearly half of the respondents doubt that the campaign promises will be realized.

With all the political dynamics occurring in the regions, the regional election process has reached its final stage. The inauguration of the new regional heads is expected to be a moment for real work, demonstrated by the fulfillment of campaign promises.

This proof is crucial considering public appreciation for the political process in the regions. A Kompas poll on February 10-13, 2025 recorded that 71.2 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the political process in the regions, from the election to the inauguration.

This public assessment is in line with observations made by the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu). Although marked by at least 1,500 reports of alleged violations, Bawaslu assessed that the implementation of the 2024 Pilkada which was held simultaneously in 545 regions went well and conducively (Kompas, 3/12/2024).

This reality provides an injection of social capital in the next political process in the region. Therefore, the inauguration of a new regional head, which is often colored by a ceremonial people's party, becomes a kind of kick off for the journey of the regional government that will take place.

In addition to marking the beginning of the new regional head's tenure, the inauguration is also an important moment for the public in each region to get to know their new leader. According to the poll results, 74.5 percent of respondents stated that they were aware of the figure of the regional head who would be inaugurated in their area.

This means that the recognition of the newly elected regional head is relatively high. Only about a quarter of respondents admitted that they did not know the new figure who would become their regional head.

Even so, this recognition is not evenly distributed for governors and regents. Of the three-quarters of respondents who are aware of the new regional head, only half (55.6 percent) know the figure of the elected governor or regent who will be inaugurated.

The remaining 7.8 percent of respondents admitted to only knowing the elected governor. Additionally, there are still 11.1 percent of respondents who only know the figure of the elected regent. This data underscores the importance of the inauguration moment for the public to increase their recognition of the figure who will lead their region for the next term.

The relatively high public awareness can also be interpreted as the community's willingness to be active in the political process in their region. In other words, the community is not apathetic towards the figure of a leader who will have an impact on their daily lives in the region.

In addition to appreciation for the political process and high recognition, the positive side of welcoming the inauguration of regional heads can also be read from the level of public confidence in the capacity of the elected figure to lead their region well.

No less than 75.8 percent of respondents expressed their confidence that the regional head to be inaugurated has the capacity to lead the region competently. In fact, of that number, there were 10.8 percent of respondents who stated they were very confident.

Public confidence in the new regional head's ability to lead indicates positive political acceptance. Meanwhile, in terms of resistance, comparing the numbers of unfamiliarity and uncertainty, a similar number appears, which is around 25 percent.

This means that the risk of public political resistance to the regional head figure is around a quarter of the population.

This potential resistance certainly arises from the political camp of the losing candidate pair and their supporters. Even so, the risk of resistance emerging is relatively low. However, this positive assessment contains crucial notes. There is a decrease in the gradation of confidence in two points, namely openness to people's aspirations and fulfillment of campaign promises.

Back to the poll results, around 68.9 percent of respondents claimed to be confident that the people's aspirations would be heard by the new regional head. The relatively low level of confidence in the absorption of public opinion is a reminder for regional heads to be more open and involve the people in policy making.

With an even lower level of confidence, only about 55.9 percent of respondents stated that they were confident that the new regional head would fulfill campaign promises. That means that almost half of the respondents doubt that campaign promises will be realized.

This is a strong alarm for local governments to really implement the programs campaigned during the regional elections. In addition, it can also be read that the public is currently still skeptical that the campaign promises will be fulfilled by the government. In fact, campaign promises are one of the strong indicators of voters making their choice.

The relatively low level of public confidence in the two points above should be answered with concrete steps by regional heads. The economic side and clean government are the emphasis of public expectations.

There are 34.1 percent of respondents who hope that the new regional government can improve the economy and expand employment opportunities in the region. Furthermore, there are 25.9 percent of respondents who hope that the new regional government will guarantee a transparent and clean government, aka free from corruption. No less important, there are 16.2 percent of respondents who hope that there will be an increase in the quality of education.

Regarding campaign promises, people may forget the details of what was promised. However, improving the economic situation and employment, clean government, and improving the quality of education will answer public doubts about their new regional head.

Public trust can also be supported by the authority of the regional head while in office. This authority, according to the public, is not merely a matter of image. On the contrary, around 32.6 percent of respondents considered the success of the regional head in carrying out his duties to lie in the involvement of community participation in programs in the region.

Next, 22.4 percent of respondents stated that the ability to maintain clean governance will determine the success of local government. In addition, leadership and a clear vision are considered to be determining factors by 15.8 percent of respondents.

The momentum of the inauguration of regional heads should not be merely ceremonial. It is also important to bind a political contract between the new regional head and the people in his region. Positive public appreciation of the political dynamics in the region should be answered with positive performance by the regional head since the first day of work. The people in the regions are waiting for the realization of their political promises. (LITBANG KOMPAS)