Democracy is precious and expensive, but does it have to be so vulgar?
Meidyatama Suryodiningrat
The Jakarta Post
Publication Date : 11-05-2014
From the incredulous to the hilarious, the post-electoral fallout of the great democratic exercise in Indonesia on April 9 could fill a seasons worth of comedy scripts: the mad to the failed gone bad.
In Kampung Baru, Bone, South Sulawesi, a father blocked a frequently used local road because his son was predicted to fail to win a seat in the provincial legislature.
In Parepare, also in South Sulawesi, a failed council candidate from the Democratic Party and his team began confiscating kitchen stoves they had donated to residents because the candidate failed to gain enough votes for the local council.
As one resident innocently put it: I did vote for him, but my wife voted for someone else because we also received donations from other candidates...So we spread the vote to be fair.
A foundation in Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi, shut down several schools it had run because its benefactor failed in the district election.
Another failed candidate in Sindang Jati, Bengkulu, actually went back to residents carrying a firearm, demanding they return money that had been distributed during his campaign.
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Democracy is precious and expensive, but does it have to be so vulgar?