We might never dream up how costly is the politics and democracy in Indonesia. As consequences all political parties has to buckle down to fund their activities – from collecting members contribution dues, looking for donation, and even – if needed – extorting money from private or state owned companies.
Unfortunately funding over member contribution dues (members levy) seems not efficient enough – so at the end they have to rely on private donations or taxpayer’s money to support their activities. Oftentimes they make use of their members that has ‘power connection’. Either in bureaucratic or in parliament to raise the fund, be it legally or illegally.
What happened behind the latest scandal obviously demonstrated on how Indonesia political parties trying hard to used every opportunities to gain the advantage and tend to neglect the fact that gratification that has been received by their members in parliament possibly will lessen the meaning of democracy itself.
The question is, what makes those politicians easily mixed up with bribery scandals? One of the reasons is the election system. The mixed nature of an election system between partly proportional and partly district give the highest authority to the party in deciding the position of candidate’s nomination – this will confirm that supporting from political party toward a candidate is necessary. Of course, political party does not give their political support to the candidate for free. In most cases, the candidate should be able to provide their funding to get all those supporting political party - and this, nobody knows the actual ammount of those contribution. At short all dealing done under gloominess.
One can say that collecting the fund from candidates prior to the election and earnings deduction over some portion for party’s members elected as parliament member is common. It was practically a common system for most party to fund their activity. However, it can burden some for the financial capacity of a candidate who might come from among the economically average citizens. How ever, this aggravating circumstance for candidates with limited fund. How they can get additional fund while they have to support the campaign activities both for themselves as well as to the political parties then? It preposterous isn’t it.
As a consequence, this condition leads the candidate to gather additional funds over various ways. Even pawning their own, looking for loans or from other sources looking for the sources such as private companies as their sponsor that often bound down with something that could be smell a rat.
Beyond out of doubt, payback for candidate who elected as a parliament member was a piece of cake.. By exploit their position, looking for new source of funding to raise their other income was so easy to do. At one go, some goes to their pocket to payback their liability, and some goes to the parties. Believe it or not, those sources include kickbacks from lobbyists seeking favors and from state agencies as well as Bank Indonesia that grease palms to get legislation approved.
For what it’s worth, democratization in Indonesia has made the election and the efforts to become a politician were lavishly. But, for a wonder, like a bull in a china shop, people came in throngs to be a politician. Might otherwise most of them will ambush into unbearable financial burdens. One thing is sure temptation to make money by illegas means can become inevitable.
But, whatsoever, it was inconsistent if their enthusiasm not to bear out for the democratization it self, moreover if it just for the sake of finding an alternate jobs to look for bread and butter.
Since money becomes a decisive variable in the victory or the defeat of the candidacy, then, how comes for the politicians to say they're going to clean up politics while they have to fork out huge amounts of money to the political party?. It take for a ride isn’t it?
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