In this file photo, a woman casts her vote during the 2012 gubernatorial election in Indonesian capital Jakarta. (Photo: UCA News)
Okt 5 2023
Indonesian church leaders have asked Christians not to accept any donations from politicians to avoid “money politics” ahead of next year’s general election.
Reverend Gomar Gultom, chairman of the Union of Churches in Indonesia, the largest ecumenical forum, has urged Christians to refrain from seeking donations from candidates contesting for seats in the legislative bodies, regional governments, and the presidency.
The existing practice of church elements who abuse their authority by seeking political donations also burdens the contestants with “expensive political costs,” he said during a press conference on Oct. 3.
This indirectly fuels corruption, he said, 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.
On the contrary, he invited his congregation to collect funds to help candidates with good track records.
“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.
Bishop Petrus Turang of Kupang in the Christian-majority province of East Nusa Tenggara said Catholics must “participate properly in the democratic process, by electing the right people without money politics.”
“Catholics must be present to bring about change,” he said during a seminar on Oct. 3.
“We must fight against money politics,” he said.
The remarks come amid concerns about so-called money politics as the Muslim-majority Southeast nation 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 Center 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).
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 percent have a business background and are linked to 1,016 companies, he pointed out.
The country’s election law allows politicians to practice money politics, he said.
“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 told UCA News.
Yosep Leribun, 35, a livestock farmer and politician from West Manggarai Regency in Catholic-majority 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 told UCA News.
“That explains why the majority of those who won the election were businesspeople,” he added. – UCA News
