MEDAN – The 2024 Regional Elections, scheduled for November 27, are just around the corner. The Indonesian people will elect regional leaders who will shape their future. A fair and transparent election is expected to produce quality leaders capable of creating policies that benefit the public.
However, vote-buying remains a serious issue. According to Bawaslu’s records, there have been 262 cases of vote-buying in the 2024 regional elections that have proceeded to the investigation stage. To combat this threat to democracy, efforts to eradicate vote-buying must be intensified by various elements of society. In this context, on November 9, 2024, several organizations and public figures in Medan, North Sumatra, will host the Declaration of the Youth Movement Against Vote-Buying under the theme: “Vote-Buying Breeds Corrupt Leaders: A Disease and Threat to Democracy.” This event aims to raise public awareness, particularly among young people, about the dangers of vote-buying and the importance of integrity in the democratic process.
This event is part of a series of activities from the Anti-Vote-Buying Training of Trainers (ToT) in North Sumatra, organized by KEMITRAAN in September 2024. As alumni of the ToT program, Andre Doloksaribu and Ahmad Muliadi Matondang, in collaboration with KEMITRAAN, the Center for Anti-Corruption Studies (PKAK) of the Faculty of Law at USU, and IDEA, have worked together to organize the event. The event will include a public dialogue, a joint declaration, and a field campaign.
The public dialogue will feature prominent speakers, including representatives from the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) of North Sumatra, the Chairperson of the Medan City Election Commission, and community leaders such as Dr. Vita Cita Emia Tarigan from PKAK FH USU and Dr. Hasan Matsum, the Chairperson of the Medan City Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). The program aims to educate young voters about the dangers of vote-buying and encourage their active participation in rejecting practices that undermine election integrity.
Ahmad Muliadi Matondang, one of the event’s initiators, stated that vote-buying is like a malignant cancer in the democratic process. Regardless of the amount, vote-buying damages the integrity of both candidates and voters and is therefore intolerable.
“We want to cultivate awareness among the younger generation that vote-buying not only undermines democracy but also fosters leadership that lacks integrity. This is a concrete step to build resilience against vote-buying,” said Ahmad.
Ahmad further emphasized that this initiative represents a commitment to disseminate the knowledge gained during the previous Anti-Vote-Buying ToT program in North Sumatra.
Andre Doloksaribu echoed this sentiment. He expressed hope that through this activity, public awareness and resilience against vote-buying will continue to grow, especially as the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections approach.
“Through this declaration, we aim to establish a cross-sector network of youth against vote-buying. This is not just a movement for the 2024 elections but also for a cleaner democratic future in Indonesia,” he stated.
