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Task force deployed by PDI-P to eliminate vote buying
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which backs candidate pair Agus Rudianto-Dance Ishkak Palit, said it had dispatched a task force comprising 2,500 members to fight against vote-buying practices in the mayoral election in Salatiga, Central Java.
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Upbeat -- Agus Rudianto and Dance Ishak Palit, accompanied by supporters, make their way to the Salatiga General Elections Commission to register their candidacy for the mayoral election set for Feb. 15. (JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
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he Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which backs candidate pair Agus Rudianto-Dance Ishkak Palit, said it had dispatched a task force comprising 2,500 members to fight against vote-buying practices in the mayoral election in Salatiga, Central Java.
The PDI-P central executive board chairman of the Salatiga chapter, Teddy Sulistio, said the task force was formed as an anticipatory measure against transactional politics, which it said was harmful to democracy.
The party was committed to upholding democracy in the Salatiga mayoral election, he went on.
“Don’t let the Salatiga election become tainted with money politics,” said Teddy on Thursday.
He said the 2,500 task force members would crack down on perpetrators starting seven days before the election on Feb. 15. The PDI-P would give Rp 1 million (US$75) in cash to any task force member who could catch red-handed someone involved in illegal practices, such as vote buying.
“We are serious. The PDI-P has identified several polling stations prone to money politics,” said Teddy.
The Agus-Dance pair is supported by the PDI-P and the National Awakening Party (PKB). The incumbent candidate pair, Yuliyanto-Muh. Haris, is backed by a coalition of eight parties, namely the Democratic Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Golkar Party, the NasDem Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the Gerindra Party, the Perindo Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN).
The Yulianto-Haris camp said it would not create a task force to tackle the issue of money in politics. The pair’s campaign team head Agus Pramono said it would instead dispatch members to monitor the movement of Agus-Dance’s task force.
“We’re worried that the task force deployment would instead make it easy for them to carry out vote buying.” (ebf)
