A number of local officials distribute ballot boxes to village offices in Pasar Wajo district, Buton regency, Southeast Sulawesi, on Tuesday (14/2). The ballot boxes were distributed to polling stations on Wednesday (15/2) morning.
Beneath a cashew tree, Hasanuddin, 50, glued wooden boards to both sides of a motorboat weighing three gross tons. The boat reminded him of the election candidate he chose in the election earlier this week despite the person currently being a Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detainee.
The eight-meter-long fiberglass boat was finished one month ago. Hasanuddin shelled out no money for it. “It was provided by the regency administration. Umar-Bakry gave this boat to me,” said the resident of Kondawa village, Pasar Wajo district, Buton regency, Southeast Sulawesi, on Thursday.
Umar-Bakry (UB) is the candidate pair of Samsur Umar Abdul Samiun and La Bakry, who currently serve as Buton regent and deputy regent. On voting day in the Buton regional election on Wednesday (15/2/2017), Hasanuddin voted for the pair.
Umar’s legal status as a suspect in a bribery case involving former Constitutional Court chief justice Akil Mochtar, in which he has been detained since January 26, did not change Hasanudin’s mind. “I know he is behind bars. But with his service still fresh in my mind, I voted for him,” he said.
According to him, during their four-and-a-half year leadership in Buton, the incumbent pair have brought about change. Personally, he is grateful to have obtained the boat. Another fisherman in Kondawa village was also given a boat.
Besides the boat assistance, Hasanuddin said Umar-Bakry had also improved local infrastructure. “They built this road along the coastline. The previous administration didn\'t care about these things,” he said.
Hasanuddin is just one example of the numerous Buton residents who voted for Umar-Bakry in the election. C1 election forms from local polling stations, as displayed on pilkada2017.kpu.go.id, show that the Umar-Bakry pair won 27,512 votes or 55.08 percent of the vote. Their “opponent”, a blank box, was chosen by 22,438 voters (44.92 percent).
Buton residents have to wait for the official the local elections commission (KPUD) vote count results. However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Umar-Bakry will most likely be declared the winner.
The forms show that Umar-Bakry lead in five of Buton’s seven districts, namely Kapontori, Lasalimu, South Lasalimu, Siotapina and Wabula. The blank box won in Pasar Wajo (the regency capital) and Wolowa.
In a press conference in Pasar Wajo on Wednesday afternoon, La Bakry said victory was a bittersweet moment for him. He was moved by the people’s support and saddened by Umar’s inability to share the joy. He also said he hoped that justice would be served in Umar’s case.
Pragmatic
The University of Indonesia\'s department of political sciences secretary, Panji Anugrah Permana, said Umar-Bakry’s victory indicated that, in people’s minds, corruption was not an important issue that could influence people\'s political preferences. This phenomenon is not exclusive to Buton.
In other regions, Panji continued, regional leaders were widely supported by locals despite being suspects in corruption cases. These leaders are seen as Robin Hood figures who are generous and kind-hearted. They did not care how these local elites got their money, even if it was from corruption.
Haluoleo University political sciences program study head Eka Suaib said in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, that pragmatic voters would still vote for sole candidates in local elections, despite these candidates having legal problems. The voters think more about the benefits that they have received. At the same time, there is no other, better choice.
Apart from pragmatism, Buton People’s Mandate Forum head Idrus Jumu said that Umar-Bakry had control over almost all resources that were mobilized to secure political support in villages.
Resistance
Behind the veil of Umar-Bakry’s victory, there is actually a narrative of significant resistance by Buton voters, as reflected by the 45 percent of the vote "won" by the blank box on ballot papers.
Of the nine regions with sole candidates in the 2017 simultaneous regional elections, only in Buton did the number of votes for the blank box almost equal that of the sole candidate.
In the other eight regions holding regional elections with only one candidate, the number of votes for the actual candidate was significantly higher than that for the blank box. These eight regions are Tebing Tinggi, North Sumatra; West Tulang Bawang, Lampung; Pati, Central Java; Landak, West Kalimantan, Central Maluku, Maluku; Jayapura, Papua; Tambrauw, West Papua; and Sorong, West Papua.
Umar’s legal status was the reason so many Buton residents chose the blank box over him.
“I cannot vote for a leader who has been arrested by the KPK. It would not make any sense for me to vote for him,” said Pasar Wajo farmer La Arusa, 44.
La Maru, 35, a resident of Lapodi village in Pasar Wajo district shared a similar sentiment. He said that voting for a legally problematic political candidate would be a sin. “We have to choose trustworthy leaders,” he said.
Local blank box campaign forum secretary Sadam Laporo said people choosing the blank box over the candidate signified that locals were critical in making their choice. “This shows that people consider political candidates’ track records, especially on integrity. For us, with our limited work in campaigning for the blank box, the number of votes feels like a victory,” he said.
Sadam added that volunteers began working two weeks before the election. Within this period, they spent just one day on intensive campaigning, including staging a parade and distributing pamphlets. This was done only in Pasar Wajo district and a number of its surrounding villages.
If the campaigning had been more intensive over a longer period of time, Sadam said that the voting result might have been different. “The blank box could have won,” he said.
However, there are no could-haves in politics. The fact is that Umar-Bakry is leading the vote count.
Today, after the chaotic rumpus of the regional election ended, Buton regency will face a new problem, including on its definitive leadership.
Currently, La Bakry serves as acting regent while waiting for the inauguration of the regent-elect. However, local governance may potentially be left hanging in the balance as Umar faces his legal battle. “This will be a long process and public services will be the first victim,” Eka said, adding that he hoped the Buton election would serve as a valuable lesson, especially to political parties in preparing public office candidates.
