PDIP Envelope Contains IDR 300 Thousand, Bawaslu Reminds Political Party Cadres It Is Prohibited To Distribute Zakat With Party Emblems

Chairman of the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) RI Rahmat Bagja (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) RI Rahmat Bagja reminded political party cadres (parpol) not to distribute zakat by using objects containing party symbols. "Distributing zakat, we are not allowed to then prohibit. Maybe it will be corrected in the future, if you distribute zakat, don't use a party symbol," said Rahmat Bagja to reporters quoted by ANTARA, Monday 27 March. This was conveyed by Bagja regarding the response of a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the PDI-P faction, Said Abdullah Abdullah, who denied accusations of himself with the administrators of the PDI-P branch (PDIP) doing money politics at the Abdullah Sychan Baghraf Mosque in Sumenep, East Java. Said said that the distribution of envelopes bearing PDIP logos contained Rp. 300 thousand to residents in the mosque, as illustrated in uploads of one of the videos on the Twitter account named the users of the Social Media Party, intended by him as payment of mal zakat. "I intend that money as mal zakat. I do it routinely every year since 2006. In fact, if there is an excess sustenance, it is like we want to give more people to reach the poor," he said. The reason for using the PDI-P logo does not escape was straightened out by Said Abdullah. He explained that the use of the PDI-P logo was motivated by party cadres working together in this activity. "We carried out this activity outside the campaign period regulated by the KPU. So, do not be led in that direction. I fully understand what we must obey as a legislative during the campaign period. Let alone the campaign period, the current candidate has not yet been determined by the KPU, "Said.

Currently, Bagja also said that Bawaslu Sumenep was investigating the case. Even so, he said that the case of distributing the envelope was not investigated by Bawaslu within the scope of alleged money politics practices, but administrative violations in the midst of the socialization of political parties participating in the 2024 election. "(The one being investigated) administrative violations, right? Entering this administration. We are not the politics of money because of money politics during the campaign period, (but this is still in the socialization period)," said Bagja.