Legal Literacy - It is an open secret that every time the election season arrives, "dawn raids" or distributing groceries seems to be a tradition that is difficult to eliminate. We often consider it a windfall, even though behind the 50 thousand or one hundred thousand rupiah bills, there is a high price that this nation must pay for the next five years. Money politics is not just an administrative violation, it is the main seed that grows the tree of corruption until its roots grip our bureaucracy tightly.

Why Does This Happen? ("Return on Investment" Logic)

In simple terms, money politics creates a vicious cycle. I argue that when a prospective official has to spend billions or even trillions of rupiah just to win a seat, their motivation when in office often shifts from "serving the people" to "recovering capital".

This is in line with Mahfud MD's opinion, who has repeatedly emphasized that the very high cost of politics in Indonesia forces officials to look for other sources of funding, which are often illegal. When official salaries cannot possibly cover the fantastic campaign costs, bribery, gratification, and "eye contact" with government projects become the most tempting shortcuts.

Data and Facts Speak

Don't just see this as an assumption. Data from the KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission) shows a consistent pattern. Based on research by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the KPK, the cost of becoming a regent/mayor averages Rp20 billion to Rp30 billion, while their official salary for five years will not reach that figure. Most of the cases handled by the KPK involve regional heads and members of the legislature who are caught in cases of bribery in the procurement of goods and services and licensing. Indonesia's fluctuating (and often stagnant) CPI score shows that our political integrity is still in the red zone.

According to political observer Burhanuddin Muhtadi in his book Kuasa Uang, money politics in Indonesia has reached a very massive level. He argues that many of our voters are "pragmatic" they accept money without feeling morally burdened to vote for the giver, but this actually triggers candidates to spread even more money in order to "secure" votes.[1]

As a result, political competition is no longer about competing ideas or track records, but about competing thick wallets. Whoever has a large capital (or is supported by a large backer) is the one who has a chance to win. This is where the oligarchy starts to play, holding public policy hostage for the benefit of the funders.

If we continue to allow money politics to be considered "normal", then corruption will never disappear from the homeland. Corruption is a logical consequence of a transactional political system. Fixing Indonesia is not enough just by arresting the corruptors, but by turning off the money machine.

We need reform of political party financing and, most importantly, awareness from us as voters. Don't trade the future of our region or country for money that is spent in a day to buy credit or lunch.