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View all search resultsReflecting on Indonesia’s political feudalism
Assembling a winning campaign team is therefore crucial, and hence, for a candidate to sever ties with their campaign team would cause a political uproar.
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D
uring the European medieval era, serfs would huddle under the protection of their harsh rulers in a confined sanctum that shielded them from the dangers of the world outside. In return, the serfs worked their despotic lords’ lands to enrich them.
The lines of serfdom and lordship are blurred today, when leaders are often subjected to the interests of their supporters; or better yet, their donors, who are more than happy to pull the puppet strings of power, concealed behind an elected official.
Despite global efforts to enhance good governance, the politics of give-and-take still permeates election campaigns or are embedded in the policy proposals of elected officials. This is no different in Indonesia.
The recent arrest of South Sulawesi Governor Nurdin Abdullah has once again started tongues wagging in the national media, with an almost routine dissection of the roots, causes and judgments regarding why corruption continues to mar the public images of the country’s regional leaders.
Djohermansyah Djohan, an astute and senior technocrat who was a former director general of regional autonomy, recently articulated that if any elected official wanted to stay clean of corruption, then they should immediately cut their ties with their “tim sukses” (campaign teams).
Of course, taking such a course of action would provide every elected official with peace of mind, so they could govern without having to deal with the vested interests of those who polished the pedestal for them to reach a higher office. Indeed, if you cut Pinocchio’s strings, he is no longer a puppet but a person who is free to decide and choose his own course.
On the other hand, it must be deduced realistically that when it comes to running for office, whether in Indonesia or another country, campaign teams are necessary to row the vessel (the candidate) to victorious shores. Often, these campaign teams provide the credibility and votes and raise the funds needed to secure a candidate’s electoral victory.
