The race for the new chairman of the Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) may have been marred by vote buying by aspiring candidates, observers and participants said Friday.
Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association chairman Erwin Aksa hinted that such conduct may possibly have taken place, saying everything was possible in politics.
“In politics, there is always money,” he said at the sidelines of a Kadin national meeting Friday, adding that as of now, these allegations were only rumors.
Indonesian Employers Association chairman Sofjan Wanandi acknowledged that rumors of vote buying had spread ahead of Saturday’s election, saying the candidates’ credibility and independence from political parties was the priority.
He said political power had tainted the process and personal interests were involved in the race.
“We can not differentiate between the politics and matters of personal interest,” he told The Jakarta Post via telephone.
However, the chairman of the meeting’s steering committee, Soeharsojo, said via telephone that he had never heard of such rumors.
“I have not heard of any candidates giving out money or other gratuities to voters,” he said.
Commenting on the issue, the chairman of Kadin’s North Maluku branch, Iqbal, said the definition of vote buying had to be examined, adding that the practice was pervasive.
“Financial support is needed even when you want to be a village head,” he said, adding that it was justifiable for candidates to give voters financial support.
“We have come from other regions and we need funds, transport and accommodation while staying in Jakarta.”
There are reports that a candidate had disbursed up to Rp 12 billion (US$1.33 million) to get support from Kadin’s provincial representatives.
The vote-buying rumors have also come to the attention of public officials and analysts.
Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre chairman Yunus Husein posted on social networking site Twitter on Friday that some candidates offered money for votes.
He also wrote that associations with the right to vote were demanding Rp 500 million while Kadin provincial representatives were seeking Rp 1 billion from candidates.
Economist Faisal Basri also posted on Twitter that participants to the national meeting should not be tempted by the money, saying that entrepreneurs should become role models.
When questioned, all the candidates denied such allegations.
Kadin acting chairman Adi Putra Tahir, who is running for the top post, said vote buying did not take place.
Another candidate, Bambang Sulisto, the acting chairman of Kadin’s advisory board and president commissioner of minerals giant Bumi Resources, said he would not allow vote buying to occur, adding that Indonesian entrepreneurs were “ethical” and would not stoop to such acts.
Three other candidates — Wishnu Wardhana (Kadin deputy chairman for non-banking financial and capital markets), Sandiaga Uno (Kadin deputy chairman for small-scale enterprises and the managing director of Saratoga Capital) and Chris Kanter (Kadin deputy chairman for investment and logistical affairs) — agreed that there was no vote buying in the election.
Of the thousands of participants to the meeting, only 129 are eligible to vote for the new chairman: 30 associations and 99 representatives from Kadin’s 33 provincial branches.
