By: Ahmad Harris *
Money politics is an action that is often carried out by legislative and executive candidates by giving material to the public to vote for the candidates. Indonesia itself has not escaped the snare of dirty practices in order to get the desired position. Starting from the environment of the elections, the election of the DPR, DPRD, DPD to the Presidential Election could be plagued by long-standing acute illnesses in various countries. Political money can occur because from upstream to downstream, the practice cannot be denied even agreed. Upstream, there are political parties that are ready to provide temporary funds from the downstream side, there are many people who are ready to accommodate the money and are willing to sacrifice their voting rights without thinking about the future impacts.
Political money tends to be difficult to stop because it is difficult to prove. Money politics is often played in gray spaces between right and wrong norms. Both the mode and the variations vary. For example, providing additional accommodation facilities outside which have been provided by the congress, providing umrah facilities, providing small business loans, giving donations to houses of worship, to other social assistance which are considered not wrong but instead aim to exchange material with voting rights. The act of money politics is often packed with arrangements of ways that look good in the eyes of society. Of course, this condition makes money politics not reported by the people who feel it.
In addition, the factor that makes money politics lasting in Indonesia is the desire and intention of the community itself. There is an assumption that money politics is reasonable because the people will not be directly affected by the policies that elected candidates will apply. Moreover, they get direct economic benefits. This view seems too general and does not think of long effects. Of course money politics requires a large amount of funds so that the candidate or candidate pairs can register. It can be said that money political funds are the capital used by these candidates to win elections. Of course, if elected, he will want to return the capital in various ways that can be done in his capacity as an official.
This condition will open a massive tap of corruption in the leadership of selected candidates. If the conditions are such, then there is no reason for the community to say that money politics will not have a significant impact on society. Communities that exchange voting rights with a number of material for their own benefit can be said to be a destroyer of the nation. How come? By accepting the money, the voters indirectly approve and sign the corruption tap will be opened massively by the elected candidates.
Therefore, people must see money politics not as a profitable practice for themselves but as a practice that is detrimental to the country as a whole. By rejecting money politics, it means that the community has contributed to guarding the country from the threat of corruption, collusion and nepotism of the officials concerned. It is impossible if a candidate who plays money politics will not attempt to commit corruption or other actions that benefit him. Like a businessman, a politician who plays money politics will certainly think of profit and loss against him. Beware of money politics to safeguard Indonesia is a mandatory step that must be carried out by all Indonesian people.
* FISIP Student at Dharma Agung University