- Candidate sells kidney for campaign
- Vote buying persists, law ignored
- Crowdfunding challenges, money politics dominate
47-year-old Erfin Dewi Sudanto has been attempting to sell his kidney for the past few months.
As one of the tens of thousands of candidates participating in the 14 February regional legislative council elections in Indonesia, he had aspired to amass $20,000 in support of his political campaign.
“This transcends mere excitement. I assure you that I am sincere. I am negative and have no property.” After his social media appeal went viral, Erfin, a candidate for the National Mandate Party in Banyuwangi, East Java, said, “The only way [to fund my campaign] is by selling my kidney.”
Considering that campaigning for this year’s Indonesian election will continue for two months, the cost of running is anticipated to be greater than ever before. Candidates must fund the remaining expenses, including campaign T-shirts, memorabilia, and stump speeches, in addition to the logistical support and witness assistance that political parties typically provide.
Erfin provides an estimate of $50,000 and discloses that a significant portion of that sum will be allocated towards soliciting “tips” to gain the support of prospective electors.
Alternatively stated, vote purchasing.
Vote purchasing is prohibited by law in Indonesia. A maximum fine of $3,000 and three years in prison constitute the penalty.
Despite this, the practice continues to be widespread.
“I remain adamantly opposed to purchasing votes. However, it is deeply ingrained in our culture. In order to secure victory, a candidate must allocate a minimum of 50,000 to 100,000 rupiah ($3-$7) per voter,” Erfin explained.
He claims that the dearth of oversight by officials has allowed vote buying to continue, and he has been compelled to participate.
“Only the law is not being enforced,” he stated, adding that the General Election Supervisory Agency’s efforts appear to be in vain.
A leading researcher and executive director of Indikator Politik Indonesia, Burhanuddin Muhtadi, told Al Jazeera that, according to his research, at least one-third of Indonesian voters had been offered voting incentives “very often,” “often,” or “rarely,” such as money, food, rice, or cooking oil.”
Vote Buying Surges Amid System Shift
In the context of his campaign for the national legislature, Burhanuddin conducted nationwide surveys on vote purchasing during the 2014 and 2019 elections.
The proportion of electors impacted in this manner for the 2019 election would have been 63.5 million out of a possible 192 million.
“The rate per vote for a legislative candidate is between 20,000 and 50,000 rupiah (approximately $1.40-$3.50),” he explained. Therefore, in densely populated islands such as Java, certain candidates may be compelled to spend up to 10 billion rupiah (approximately $683,000) to purchase ballots.
The cost is even greater in regions abundant in hydrocarbons and gas. A single vote in those locations may incur a $150 fee, as stated by Burhanuddin.
The data indicates that Indonesia ranks third globally in terms of money politics, behind Uganda and Benin, which is double the global average. “It is as if nothing has changed,” Burhanuddin wrote in his report.
Burhanuddin believes that the transition from a closed-list to an open-list proportional representation system is one factor contributing to the persistence of vote purchasing.
The party, prior to 2008, exercised authority over the allocation of the seats it had won through the closed-list system. In an open-list system, candidates are elected based on the quantity of votes they receive.
“Prior to the implementation of the system, financial resources in political practice were limited.” However, once the application is submitted, each candidate vies for the personal vote. “Even within their own party,” he continued.
“At any cost, win”
In 2019, Golkar Party legislative candidate Rian Ernest Tanudjaja, 36, spent $83,000 on his campaign.
“The budget was required primarily for door-to-door canvassing, incentives for volunteers, calendar printing, and ballot sample distribution,” he explained.
Although Ernest opposes vote buying, he claims that its persistence has nothing to do with the voting system itself. “We cannot finger the proportional open-list system exclusively.” Even if the system is altered, candidates will continue to pursue victory at any cost. “The practice of vote buying will continue,” he stated.
He asserts that eliminating the practice involves educating electors in addition to enforcing the law.
“Once elected, individuals should not support a candidate who accepts monetary contributions in exchange for basic food items. That individual will only seek to recoup the funds through corruption,” he advised.
High Costs and Corruption Probes
In December, the deputy chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), Habiburokhman, estimated that the campaign expenditures for some seats this year could reach $1.5 million. The majority of the funds will be used to purchase campaign memorabilia and decorations to “gather and protect” the electorate, he reportedly told the Kompas daily, the most reputable daily newspaper in Indonesia.
In the same month, Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency announced that it was conducting an investigation into reports from the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (INTRAC) regarding questionable transactions purportedly originating from illegal mining and gambling operations and exceeding $63 million in value prior to the 2024 elections.
It announced last month that it was investigating suspicious transactions involving approximately one hundred legislative candidates.
Some have attempted crowdfunding to offset the high cost of campaigning, but it has proven to be an insurmountable battle.
Manik Marganamahendra, a candidate for the Perindo Party legislative nomination in Jakarta, has raised $12,700 via crowdfunding. “I extended invitations to my former high school and campus classmates, as well as colleagues in the office, for an event where I presented my campaign budget plan. Ultimately, they contributed,” said the former chief of the student executive board of University Indonesia. The parliament was previously referred to as a “Council of Traitors.” The funds were primarily used to purchase banners.
Money politics is a subject that Manik explicitly addresses while campaigning. Although some electors recognised the error, the majority continued to request the “tip.”
“Elections are merely a means for them to gain financial momentum,” he stated.
The Adiguna Daniel Jerash, a 23-year-old candidate for the Indonesian Solidarity Party for parliament in Jakarta, has relied on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and others to generate funds for his campaign.
He told, “I was inspired by Obama, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.” “They are an example of how crowdfunding can be successful and a trendsetter.”
Nonetheless, it has presented an obstacle for Jerash. He stated, “At this time, Indonesia is not prepared to crowdfund a politician.” After weeks of Instagram campaigning, he reported that he had only raised $1,000.
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Furthermore, the inexperienced politician is employing his social media platforms to advocate against vote purchasing. “With regard to money politics, I informed my constituents that candidates ought not to solicit votes with bribes,” he explained. His notion is supported by a portion of his audience. He stated, “However, Indonesian netizens were primarily annoyed with it.”
During the final week preceding the election, Erfin was unable to locate a purchaser for his kidney. The maximum penalty for violating Indonesian organ sales laws is 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
However, he continues to campaign. “I will not abandon my constituents,” he declared.
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