Legal Literacy - Dawn raids and money politics still haunt Indonesian democracy. This article examines the factors that cause the practice of money politics to continue, including political aspects, legal dimensions, cultural factors, and economics. It also reviews the rules regarding the prohibition of money politics in the Election Law along with its sanctions. Let's jointly reject money politics for clean and integrity elections!

Time to Head Towards the Elections Year Desired by the Public

After 5 years of democracy establishment, now is the time to wait for the moment when the public's right to vote becomes full sovereignty that determines the fate of the nation.

Dawn Raids and Money Politics: A Threat to Democracy

Undeniably, dawn raids and pre-election money politics are the root of corruption that needs to be anticipated so as not to damage democracy and the constitution.

Quoted from the Anti-Corruption Education Center, in 2019, there were 25 cases of money politics committed during the cooling-off period and caught red-handed by Bawaslu. The cases caused a stir in 13 provinces. The types of money politics included the distribution of basic necessities, detergents, and cash given by political parties/candidates to voters.

Factors Encouraging Money Politics

Unfortunately, this year money politics has gone viral again as a form of invitation to vote for a predetermined candidate pair. Therefore, it is important to understand what factors cause money politics to continue to exist within the scope of society.

  1. Political aspect. The practice of money politics develops because legislative candidates only focus on winning without having clear programs, while political parties are only involved in the nomination process.
  2. Legal dimension. The weak regulations related to money politics cause only those who give political money to be sanctioned, even though the recipients must also be responsible.
  3. Cultural factor. There is a habit that has been ingrained in Indonesian culture, where rejecting gifts is considered inappropriate while accepting gifts is considered normal. This cultural habit is used by politicians to facilitate the practice of money politics.

In addition to the three things above, there is a factor that cannot be separated from why money politics still exists within the scope of society? The answer is, the low economic condition of the community can lead to an increase in the number of people who accept money politics because it is considered a stroke of luck. However, it needs to be remembered that the money given in the practice of money politics, such as dawn raids, could be from the proceeds of corruption.