He said on nearly every visit, the community had given their donations even though they did not give their clear identity.

“There was community participation in politics, especially in the form of donations. It was given spontaneously so they didn’t give their identity,” he said as quoted by Antara.

For instance, in Medan, North Sumatra, he said a community of clerics had given donations during his unannounced visit there. He also received donations from the head of the pedicab drivers community who had intercepted him on the road during his visit to Ponorogo, East Java, and a community in Bulukumba, South Sulawesi.

“It was very difficult for us to identify each of them. We are currently asking for the participants’ names so that we can comply with the General Elections Commission requirements," he said.

Sandiaga said all this time in politics, a candidate usually visited the public and gave money for them to vote, but now it has been reversed.

“Now the people provided us with donations. I hope this can last,” he said, adding that political funding mechanisms in the future should rely on community participation. (ggq)