JAKARTA (UCAN): Church leaders in Indonesia have asked Christians to avoid “money politics” ahead of next year’s general election and not to accept any donations from politicians.
Bishop Petrus Turang of Kupang in the Christian-majority province of East Nusa Tenggara, called on Catholics to “participate properly in the democratic process, by electing the right people without money politics.”
He said during a seminar on October 3, “Catholics must be present to bring about change,” stressing, “We must fight against money politics.” Reverend Gomar Gultom, chairperson of the Union of Churches in Indonesia, the largest ecumenical forum, urged Christians to refrain from seeking donations from candidates contesting for seats in legislative bodies, regional governments, and the presidency he said during a press conference on October 3.
He said this indirectly fuels corruption because the winners seek to recover the money spent during the election campaign.
“One way to overcome corruption is to stop asking candidates for donations,” he said. He invited his congregation to instead collect funds to help candidates with good track records.
participate properly in the democratic process, by electing the right people without money politics
Bishop Turang
“If the candidate is good, we think his track record is good, please then donate funds,” he said.
He said if the funds used for political costs come from the community, then elected officials will be prompted to uphold the public interest.
“They will be loyal to the people,” he added.
The remarks come amid concerns about so-called money politics as Indonesia is set to hold simultaneous elections for local and national parliament, president, governor, regent, and mayor.
The campaign period is scheduled to start next month, according to the General Election Commission.
“The practice of money politics is something that is difficult to eradicate as it has become entrenched and political costs are expensive,” said Lucius Karus, a political observer from the Indonesian Parliament Monitoring Community Forum.
A study by the Research and Development Centre of the Ministry of Home Affairs put the average cost of becoming a regent [district head] or mayor in Indonesia at 30 billion rupiah [US$1,918,587], while the cost of becoming a governor could reach 100 billion rupiah [US$6,395,290].
The practice of money politics is something that is difficult to eradicate as it has become entrenched and political costs are expensive
Lucius Karus
Karus said the use of money brings quick results for candidates, who are mostly businesspeople.
Of the total 575 members of the current national lawmakers, 45.48 per cent have a business background and are linked to 1,016 companies, he pointed out.
Karus pointed out that the country’s election law allows politicians to practice money politics. “For example, there is a provision that candidates can provide transportation costs to voters who take part in the campaign. Loopholes like this are then exploited by politicians,” he explained.
Yosep Leribun, a livestock farmer and politician from West Manggarai Regency in Flores Island, said that money politics is a big challenge for him.
Leribun, a Catholic, is running for the local parliament election for the first time. “Our society is used to getting money from candidates. So, the reason for choosing is no longer rational,” he said.
He said that he is trying to gain voter support through family, friends, and livestock groups he has built over the last few years.
“However, I am also worried, because there is always the possibility that someone will give away money in the days leading up to the election. That’s a practice I heard from voters in the previous election. Some can buy one vote with up to 500,000 rupiah [US$31,98],” he said.
“That explains why the majority of those who won the election were businesspeople,” Leribun added.
