SMRC Claims Money Politics Will Not Run Effectively In The 2024 Election

JAKARTA - Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) said the money policy strategy used by a number of figures participating in the 2024 General Election was not effective. In fact, it tends to be expensive because of its impact that is not comparable to expectations.

"In my opinion, this money politics tends to be excited, this is actually the effectiveness of only one in 10 cases. That's because they don't know exactly, who can really be influenced, who and where," said SMRC founder Saiful Mujani in a talk entitled 'Potential Money Politics in the 2024 Election' which was followed online in Jakarta, Thursday, December 21, was confiscated by Antara.

Saiful said that it was difficult for the political bagwa of money to run effectively because the election participants did not know for sure who and where (by name by address) the people who supported them after receiving the money or gifts that had been distributed.

Based on the results of a survey conducted by SMRC in the period October November 2023 nationally, it is known that at least money politics may only be effective in one in 10 cases.

This proves that if politicians want to get at least one vote, money politics needs to be distributed to 10 people. It was this uncertainty, he said, that required large amounts of money for politicians to campaign during the election.

"As a result, he is the perpetrators of this money politics, he will waste his money. So, expensive, that's what makes elections expensive," he said.

According to him, another reason money politics did not work effectively was that it was caused by the choice made by the community in the voting box, could not be known by the candidates, as well as statements from figures who said that people could receive the money without having to choose themselves.

He said the profile of people who are often affected and vulnerable by money politics is greater in women, residents living in rural areas, low-income, low-income, and over 55 years old.

"This person tends to be a woman because of socio-economics, as is often discussed, women have more economic difficulties than men. This is so vulnerable to the invasion of money politics, parents are also very sorry for it," he said.

Therefore, Saiful suggested that the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) and the relevant government should focus on protecting the community, especially in vulnerable groups, so as not to be influenced by the deception of money politics which sometimes has a bad impact on others.

"It is the mandate of the state, the mandate of the law, it is Bawaslu's obligation to enforce it, Bawaslu focuses on it," he said.

Saiful said as many as 44 percent of the public stated that they could tolerate money politics as a natural thing. Meanwhile, another 56 percent admitted that they could not accept this method in asking for the voice of the people.