Politicians and political parties: Resented, but needed

Rizal Sukma , Jakarta | Mon, 07/07/2008 10:31 AM | Headlines

Political parties and politicians are increasingly being scrutinized by the public. Recently, a number of parliamentarians were arrested for taking bribes, corruption and acting as brokers for regional governments or companies seeking government contracts. Even members of parliament (MPs) acknowledge that many lawmakers receive bribes. What has been discovered so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

What are the reasons behind these criminal acts? Some MPs conveniently blame it on "inadequate" salaries. An MP reportedly said "we are so underpaid that we can't contribute to the party and recover our election costs" (The Jakarta Post, July 3, 2008). What an interesting and straightforward answer.

True, elections cost a lot. Obviously, you need to pay for your campaign. Advertisements, T-shirts, pamphlets, calendars with your face on it and other campaign paraphernalia do not come cheap. Take the T-shirt, a favorite item for many candidates, as an example. A friend of mine, himself an MP, told me that for 100,000 T-shirts, you might need to pay around Rp 1 billion (US$108,448). And, as this friend is an honest lawmaker, he is not sure if he can afford it if he wants to seek another term as an MP.

Indeed, people say this is the price of democracy. That is why many skeptics would argue that democracy does not work in societies where GDP per capita is less than US$3,000 or the purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita is less than US$6,000. In fact, many would argue that the money component constitutes the "downside" of democracy.

Yet, it is the money component that often becomes a political mystery. If they know the costs cannot be recovered by their salary, why then do politicians, or those who aspire to be politicians, still want to be MPs? As more and more MPs get arrested, we know that being an MP opens up the opportunity for making even more money than what he or she has spent in order to become an MP.

There is a flaw in the logic that some MPs turn to corrupt practices due to the pressing need to recover the election costs. What is happening is really the opposite. By becoming an MP, a politician could even reap more financial benefits. In other words, for some politicians the motive might be to make money in the first place.

That is also why more and more people are becoming skeptical about political parties. Political parties have been criticized for serving as a tool for attaining personal or group financial gains. Political parties are increasingly seen as one of most corrupt institutions in the country. Some even go to the extent of arguing that political parties in Indonesia have become an impediment to democracy.

Criticisms of political parties, like any other criticisms, are necessary. In light of the recent arrests of some MPs, anyone is entitled to express disappointment at what has happened. However, we should not come to the conclusion that politicians and political parties are not needed. Any criticism should not be aimed at undermining the importance of political parties and the necessity for political parties to exist.

We should not repeat the mistake made by President Sukarno in the mid-1950s when he called for the need to bury political parties. We may resent the bad practices and immoral behavior of some politicians, but we should hold firm to the belief that political parties are needed if Indonesia is to continue to become a democracy.

What we need is to think about how the party system in Indonesia can be refined, improved and perfected. To start with, political parties should begin to reform party financing system, devise a better mechanism of recruitment and strengthen law enforcement. To be on the optimistic side, the fact that some MPs have been arrested demonstrates that progress is not impossible.

The writer is the deputy executive director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta.

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