Money Politics is The Forerunner of Electoral Corruption

Abstract

Buying and selling votes seems to be an endemic practice in many democracies and is not new. Money politics is essentially a disease of democracy in any country. There is a ghost of money politics hanging around every election. It manifests through the exchange of votes for money, goods or services offered by candidates or support teams to voters. Money politics has become a language that brings together interactions between politicians and voters and is the central point of campaigning in the General or Regional Elections in Indonesia. Money politics is a fraudulent act in General Elections, essentially the same as corruption. Money politics is not in rhythm and is compounded to hold elections. This study uses a qualitative approach to discuss how the relationship between the practice of money politics and electoral corruption is rampant at every democratic party in Indonesia in the current reform era. First, in this study's results, money politics is a typical Indonesian terminology. Second, criminal sanctions do not provide a deterrent effect for perpetrators. Third, an open proportional system opens the door for vote buying and selling.