The Steep Path for Young Legislative Candidates Without "Blue Blood" Who Can Walk to Senayan

Even though 50 of the 87 young DPR candidates who passed were associated with political dynasties, some were not at all.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO (TOK)

The election officials searched for ballot results on the ballot papers during the vote counting for the members of the Indonesian House of Representatives in the 2024 General Elections at polling station 055 in Petamburan, Tanah Abang, Jakarta on Wednesday (14/2/2024).

2024 Election brings sweet memories to the elected legislative candidate from the Prosperous Justice Party or PKS, M Kholid. He will almost certainly pass and be appointed as a member of the DPR for the 2024-2029 period. As a young legislative candidate with no capital, especially without a family background as an official, qualifying for parliament in Senayan, Jakarta, without a hard struggle, will certainly not be easy to achieve.

His political journey began when Kholid was still a consultant for Commission XI of the DPR in 2011. Slowly but surely, he began to gather capital and connections with political party elites. In 2013, whether by coincidence, luck, or personal achievement, Kholid became a consultant for Sohibul Iman who was then serving as the Vice Chairman of the DPR.

As Kholid moved from one commission to another as an expert, his career ventured into practical politics when Sohibul Iman became the President of a certain Islamic-based political party from August 10, 2015, until October 5, 2020. He accompanied Sohibul as a Special Staff to the President of the said political party. Since then, Kholid has been active in the party's centers of power while remaining an expert in the DPR.

Although Sohibul is no longer the President of PKS in 2020, Kholid is still used in the leadership of Ahmad Syaikhu since 2020 as the Vice Head of PKS President's Staff. Now, he has been trusted again to become the Spokesperson of PKS.

"While transitioning from being an expert member of one committee to another, Kholid's career shifted towards practical politics when Sohibul Iman became the President of the Islamic-based PKS party in 2015. He accompanied Sohibul as a Special Staff for the PKS President. Since then, Kholid has been active in the party's central circle of power while still remaining as an expert member of the DPR."

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

PKS Spokesperson Muhammad Kholid. PHOTO Compass

When asked to run as a legislative candidate from the electoral district (dapil) of West Java VI, he didn't believe it at first. As a young person without a large financial capital, he had to compete with incumbent candidates who had certain privileges. However, the party's trust cannot be wasted.

In the electoral district of West Java VI which includes Bekasi and Depok cities, there is a tendency for the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) to excel with two seats obtained in the 2019 election. However, this time Kholid needs to compete with a row of celebrities such as Choky Sitohang (Nasdem Party) and Vicky Prasetyo (Perindo Party), Ingrid Maria Palupi Kansil (Democratic Party), Dedi Gumelar or Mi'ing (Gelora Party), and Doadibadai Holli (PSI).

Also read: Optimism of Young Legislative Candidates Looking to Parliament

In addition to celebrities, Kholid also competed against incumbent candidate Sukur H Nababan (PDI-P), Wenny Haryanto (Golkar Party), Intan Fauzi (PAN), and Nuroji (Gerindra Party). Not to mention, he also needs to outperform the incumbent PKS candidate colleagues, Mahfudz Abdurrahman and Nur Azizah Tamhid.

Kholid said that it is indeed difficult to pass and win from the "hell" electoral district of West Java VI. Moreover, the fight is accompanied by huge pressure from incumbent candidates who are often favored. However, he still believes that hope will always exist.

"The incumbent candidate is benefited. They have more resources and can politically bring programs to their constituency. They also have reses funds, constituency visits, which are intended to take care of constituents," he said.

In this electoral district, incumbent candidates, especially those from PKS, already have their own bases. As a new candidate, Kholid must "yield" and seek new voter niches. To counter this, he formulated three strategies, namely approaching PKS regional members, forming tandems with DPRD candidates, and strengthening volunteer nodes.

The incumbent candidate benefits from it. They have more resources and can bring political programs to their electoral district. They also have access to funds for constituency visits, which are intended to take care of their constituents.

The idea of anti-political bribery turns out to be quite beneficial for Kholid. Not only does it have a positive value for the public, but it can also reduce expenses, so that the focus funds can be used to organize activities for the community. Campaigns through social media are also advantageous for the younger generation.

Finally, referring to the national vote recapitulation by KPU, a certain party received 538,235 votes and sent two of its cadres to the parliament, namely Mahfudz (118,727 votes) and Kholid (107,251 votes). Despite being defeated by Mahfudz, Kholid proved to be sharp by gaining more votes than the incumbent candidate, Nur Azizah.

Approaching the elite

Similar experiences are also experienced by Kawendra Lukistian, a elected member of Gerindra Party from East Java IV electoral district. He is also a young man without large capital or a family background of political officials and needs a special strategy to enter parliament. In order to win in his first election in 2024, he has been slowly building his political career since 2009.

For more than a decade in Gerindra, Kawendra has been active in the behind-the-scenes campaign team. He has used that long time to build a closeness with the Daily Chairman of Gerindra Party, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, who is considered his political mentor.

"It is true that a newcomer candidate needs a 'support system'. I joined in 2009, when I was actively involved in the campaign as a creative team volunteer. This 2024 election is my first time running for office, previously I was only involved behind the scenes."

"It is true that (young people who run as legislative candidates) must have a 'pole'. I entered in 2009 when I was actively involved in the winning campaign as a creative volunteer. This 2024 election is the first time I am running as a candidate, previously I only participated behind the scenes," he said.

For Kawendra, politicians must be able to see and seize the opportunities that are right in front of them. Moreover, seniors in the Gerindra Party often open up opportunities for the regeneration of politicians. This applies not only at the national level, but also in the regions.

Meanwhile, the elected candidate from the Golkar Party in the East Java V region, Ahmad Irawan, started his political career through the Golkar Party Youth Force (AMPG) organization. Coming from an ordinary family background, he had to go through a quite challenging political path.

Efforts to approach senior or political mentors in Golkar Party have not yielded significant results due to the many factions within the party. Therefore, Irawan inevitably needs to gather resources and build his own mass base.

"In my constituency I am a single fighter. The strategy is not to disrupt the party structure because internal competition is very tough. There are already basic voter groups. Moreover, we don't know whose mentor Golkar is, there are many factions. In Golkar, the most important work is that seniors are given the same opportunity. There are many who have close ties."

Before being elected in the 2024 election, he had run as a candidate in the 2019 election. Although he lost, at least he had tried to introduce himself to the public. Then, for the next five years, Irawan collected capital through his law firm.

"In my constituency I am a single fighter. The strategy is not to disrupt the party structure because internal competition is very tough. There are already basic voter groups. Moreover, we don't know whose mentor Golkar is, there are many factions. In Golkar, the most important work is that seniors are given the same opportunity. "There are many who have a close relationship," he explained.

Kinship politics

"Candidate friends generally do not have an instant political career. Fighting in the DPR (the Indonesian Parliament) is not easy, especially with the increasing incumbent's reelection rate. Furthermore, young people also have to compete with those who have high privileges."

On the other hand, Kholid, Kawendra and Irawan are a small number of young legislative candidates who do not have "blue blood", but can qualify for Senayan. Based on the findings of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), as many as 50 of the 87 young DPR member candidates who have a high chance of passing are associated with political dynasties. This means that young people who run and win in the 2024 Legislative Election cannot be separated from the relationship background of their children, younger siblings, older siblings, wives, husbands, nephews and other political officials.

According to CSIS Head of Department of Politics and Social Change Arya Fernandes, the phenomenon of young political dynasties who run and win in the 2024 Legislative Elections cannot be separated from the high cost of national politics. Incumbent candidates also try to maintain their political careers that have been built for a long time, resulting in lower chances for young candidates to be elected.

Also read: Young Legislative Candidates Become a Crucial Factor in Winning Votes

"Generally, candidate friends do not start their political careers instantly. Fighting in the DPR is not easy, especially with the increasing number of incumbent re-elections. Then, young people also have to fight against those who have high privileges," he said.

The national political system also causes candidates to require a large amount of funds to conduct independent campaigns. This fund is generally used to finance activities, mobilize masses, visits, and election witnesses.

For newcomers, especially young politicians who are nobodies, it is certainly difficult. They have to perform acrobatics to secure a seat in parliament. The path taken is varied, ranging from years of "playing" behind the scenes to gathering their own capital in order to compete with a series of incumbents, whether with large capital or renowned figures.