By: Azzahra Qotimah )*
Money politics is one of the serious problems that often harms the democratic process. This practice not only damages the integrity of the Pilkada, but also threatens the sustainability of quality leadership. The public is often faced with the temptation of short-term material, but the consequence is that the elected leaders tend to prioritize personal or group interests over the interests of the people.
It takes a strong commitment to maintain the Pilkada so that it can produce leaders with integrity. To realize leaders with integrity, active participation of the community is very necessary. Choosing with full awareness and rejecting all forms of bribery or promises of money politics is a very important first step. Leaders with integrity will work based on strong moral principles, be honest, and have a vision for mutual progress, not just enriching themselves.
As was done by the Central Sulawesi (Sulteng) Bawaslu which has formed a Participatory Supervision Village in Limboro Village, Donggala Regency. This village was named an “Anti-Money Politics Village” as an effort to increase public awareness of the importance of Pilkada supervision. The event took place at the Limboro Village Office field and was attended by various figures, including Dewi Tisnawaty from the Sulteng Bawaslu. The joint declaration was led by the Head of Limboro Village, followed by the signing of a plaque as a symbol of commitment. Syarifuddin Ishak, Chair of the Committee and Secretariat of the Morowali Regency Bawaslu, explained that this movement aims to involve the community in supervising the 2024 Pilkada. The Supervision Village is a Bawaslu initiative based on community participation to combat Pilkada violations.
This initiative is an effort that should be celebrated by all elements of society. Stakeholders along with community leaders and religious leaders have an important role in encouraging commitment to create a conducive atmosphere. This is part of direct political learning that is practiced to emphasize their respective functions. Bawaslu as part of the organizers of the Pilkada in the field of supervision has the responsibility to raise public awareness to play an active role in maintaining a clean Pilkada without intervention, without money politics that can damage democracy. With active community participation, it is hoped that the Pilkada can take place more honestly, fairly, and transparently, and strengthen the democratic system in the region.
In addition, the 2024 Pilkada has opened the eyes of many parties regarding the rampant practice of money politics, which is a serious threat to the quality of democracy. The General Chairperson of the Alumni Association of STIA LAN Jakarta Polytechnic, Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa, realized the importance of change for a better Pilkada in 2029.
The upcoming regional elections are expected to bring optimism and eliminate the anxieties that have occurred so far. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out political party consolidation in the next five years to ensure that political parties carry out their functions effectively. This party reform aims to create competent cadres to compete and a quality recruitment process, not just a formality.
The emergence of the “empty box” phenomenon in the 2024 Pilkada has raised questions among the public about whether the development of political parties during this period can be said to be successful, because the large number of empty boxes in the Pilkada will cause new problems at the implementation level. If the “empty box” has a larger number of voters, it means that the Pilkada has not or has not produced a leader. The “empty box” in the Pilkada has a systemic impact. This can also be said to be a reflection of political parties that have not been optimal in preparing quality regional leaders. Of the 41 regions that are competing against the empty box, this shows the weakness of the cadre process within political parties.
The “Empty Box” phenomenon also triggers the practice of money politics in the implementation of the Pilkada. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the organizers, KPU and Bawaslu become institutions that are required to be able to carry out their duties constitutionally in guarding against the practice of money politics which is very vulnerable in the 2024 Pilkada.
To achieve good democracy, honest, fair, safe regional elections and guaranteed community rights in the upcoming leader elections, all organizing systems must reflect back on their duties and functions correctly, including political parties not being a part that can worsen the situation, but can show that political parties are a big house to create leaders who have capabilities and morals. It is hoped that political parties can carry out their functions optimally, so that this nation can achieve the great goal of building a better Indonesian democracy that can lead to justice and prosperity.
The optimal role of the Pilkada organizing institutions, KPU, Bawaslu and law enforcement to suppress the potential for the emergence of money politics is the hope of all parties. Strict enforcement of regulations against violations of money politics needs to be applied without discrimination. Voter education also needs to be encouraged to raise awareness of the importance of choosing leaders with integrity. Only with honest and competent leaders can sustainable development and public welfare be achieved. They must also be able to encourage the recruitment of prospective leaders who have integrity, not just based on popularity or wealth. A transparent and fair selection process will help create quality prospective leaders.
Avoiding money politics is not only an individual task, but a shared responsibility to maintain the purity of democracy and ensure the birth of leaders who truly care about the interests of the nation. Ultimately, public awareness to reject money politics is the foundation of a healthy democracy. By choosing leaders with integrity, the nation will get policies that side with the interests of the people, not a handful of elites who only use power for personal gain.
)* The author is a Malang student living in Jakarta