Bali, Indonesia – For the past few months, 47-year-old Elfyn Dewi Sudant has been trying to sell his kidney.
One of thousands of candidates running in Indonesia's Local Legislative Council elections on February 14, he was hoping to raise $20,000 for his political campaign.
“This is not just a feeling. I am serious. I am negative, there is no wealth. The only way [to fund my campaign] I am selling my kidney,” Elfin, who ran for the People's Mandate Party in Banyuwangi, East Java province, told Al Jazeera after the complaint went viral on social media.
The cost of running Indonesia's elections this year is expected to be higher than ever, as campaigning lasts for two months. Political parties typically provide some support for logistics and witnesses to monitor the count, but candidates must come up with the rest of the money, from stump speeches to campaign T-shirts and swag. .
Arfin estimated he would need up to $50,000, much of which would go towards providing “tips” to secure the support of potential voters.
In other words, buying up votes.
Vote buying is illegal under Indonesian law. The penalty is a fine of up to $3,000 and three years in prison.
However, this practice remains widespread.
“Personally, I don't want to buy votes. [But] It is ingrained in our society.at least [a candidate] 50,000 to 100,000 rupiah ($3 to $7) per voter [to win]” said Elfin.
He said the lack of oversight by authorities meant that vote buying continued, leaving him with no choice but to participate.
“No one is enforcing the law. The General Election Supervisory Board (BAWASLU) doesn't seem to listen,” he said. Baswal did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment on the allegations.
Burhanuddin Muftadi, a leading researcher and executive director of Indicator Politics Indonesia, told Al Jazeera that based on his research, at least one-third of Indonesian voters have no interest in money or rice. He said voting incentives such as food items such as cooking oil were being provided. “Very often,” “frequently,” or “rarely.”
During the last two elections, in 2014 and 2019, Burhanuddin conducted a national investigation into vote buying related to parliamentary election campaigns.
In the 2019 election, the number of voters affected was 63.5 million out of a total of 192 million voters.
“For parliamentary candidates, each vote costs about 20,000 to 50,000 rupiah (up to $4),” he said. As a result, some candidates may have to shell out as much as Rp 10 billion (about $683,000) just to buy votes, especially in densely populated islands like Java. be.
Prices are even higher in areas rich in oil and gas. Burhanuddin said voting at these locations can cost $150 per vote.
This figure places Indonesia third in the world in terms of money politics, after Uganda and Benin, and is twice the world average for money politics. “This is something of a new normal,” Burhanuddin said in his report.
Mr. Burhan believes that part of the reason vote buying continues is due to the change in proportional representation from private to public.
Under the closed list system in place before 2008, the party decided who would win the seats it won. In an open list, candidates win seats based on the number of votes they receive.
“Before this system was applied, funds available for political activities were limited. But once it was applied, all candidates competed to win individual votes. Even between them,” he said.
“Win at any cost”
Golkar Party legislative candidate Lian Ernest Tanujaja, 36, spent $83,000 on his 2019 election campaign.
“Budgets were primarily needed for door-to-door activities, volunteer stipends, and printing of calendars and sample ballots,” he said.
Earnest opposes vote buying, but says the reason it continues has nothing to do with the voting system. “You can't just blame the proportional open list system. Changing the system won't change the psychology of candidates who want to win at all costs. Vote buying will continue,” he said.
He said eradicating the practice is not just about enforcing the law, but also educating voters.
“People should not vote for candidates who: [money] Because this person is only focused on getting their money back through corruption. [once he is elected],” He said.
Habi Brokman, deputy leader of the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), said in December that campaign costs could reach $1.5 million for some seats this year. Most of the funds will go toward election props and souvenirs to “protect and rally” voters, Kompass Daily, Indonesia's most respected daily newspaper, quoted him as saying.
In the same month, Indonesia's anti-corruption authorities released a report from the Indonesian Financial Transactions Reporting and Analysis Center (INTRACT) on more than $63 million worth of suspicious transactions allegedly originating from illegal mining and gambling activities in the run-up to the 2024 elections. announced that it is investigating.
Last month, it announced that it was investigating suspicious transactions related to about 100 parliamentary candidates.
Election campaigns cost a lot of money, so some people have tried crowdfunding, but they have struggled.
Manik Margana Mahendra, a legislative candidate for Pelindo Party in Jakarta, secured $12,700 through crowdfunding. “I invited former classmates from campus and high school, as well as colleagues from work, to events where I pitched my campaign. [budget plan] And they ended up making donations,” said a former student executive chairman of the University of Indonesia, who once called the parliament a “traitor council.” He used the money primarily to print banners.
During his campaign, Manik openly discusses plutocracy. Although some voters knew it was wrong, most still asked for a “tip.”
“For them, elections are just a chance to make money,” he says.
Indonesian Solidarity Party's Jakarta parliamentary candidate Adiguna Daniel Jerash, 23, relies on Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms to raise campaign funds.
“I was inspired by Obama, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” he told Al Jazeera. “They are trendsetters and prove that crowdfunding is possible.”
However, it turned out to be difficult for Jerash. “Indonesia is not yet ready to crowdfund politicians,” he said. He ran a campaign on Instagram for several weeks, but says he only raised $1,000.
The first-time politician is not giving up and is also using social media platforms to campaign against vote buying. “I educated voters about plutocracy and that candidates should not tip.” [to buy votes],” he said. Some of his audience supported his idea. “But Indonesian netizens were mostly annoyed by it,” he said.
In the last week before the election, Elfin was unable to find a buyer for his kidney. Under Indonesian law, selling organs is illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
He worries that his lack of funds has put him at a disadvantage in the scramble for votes.
“Typically, vote buying starts the last week before election day. Candidates will distribute funds on a large scale to rally voters,” he said.
