Volunteerism and Political Parties’ Future
IN the past, the term “volunteerism” was predominantly associated with humanitarian movements. Volunteers, who selflessly contributed both material and non-material support, whether physical or non-physical, were the epitome of volunteerism.
In Indonesia, the term “volunteer” began to find its way into the realm of politics during the era of direct regional elections (Pilkada). It’s unclear who initiated it, but the political volunteerism movement, which we now refer to as political volunteering, has continued to grow with all its forms and dynamics.
The phenomenon of political volunteerism has become increasingly prominent during presidential elections (Pilpres). With such widespread public engagement, participation, and the involvement of all elements to win the contest have become inevitable.
In this context, thousands of volunteer networks were born, seemingly assuming some of the roles of political parties. Political researcher Prof. Siti Zuhro of LIPI (Indonesian Institute of Sciences) even stated on one occasion that the work of political volunteers is essentially the duty of political parties.
The same holds true as we approach the upcoming 2024 presidential elections. Since early 2021, volunteer networks advocating national figures to run for president have emerged. At that time, no political party had mentioned any names for the presidential candidacy, except for discussions about extending the presidential term to three periods.
This is the dynamics of democracy in our nation. Political parties, expected to play a pivotal role in educating and politicizing the people, have yet to resolve their internal issues.
In reality, there are hardly any truly independent and self-reliant political parties in this country, especially when it comes to the ideological programming of the party down to the grassroots level.
In an ideal democracy, political parties would have adequate infrastructure down to the grassroots level, ensuring that the aspirations of the people are channeled effectively into national policies and agendas.
Ideally, political parties should play a pivotal role as the platform for political education and cadre development for anyone interested in entering the political arena. Starting from high school, young citizens should be able to choose which political party to join and begin their journey from their local communities.
If these roles were optimally carried out by political parties, the deadlock in channeling the people’s aspirations could be avoided. At the very least, the phenomenon of political volunteerism should not be perceived as a takeover of the roles and functions of political parties in our political system.
The presence of volunteer networks, especially as we approach the 2024 presidential elections, has somewhat altered the landscape of our political contest. From these volunteers arises a heightened enthusiasm for public political participation.
As a non-partisan group that emerged from the grassroots, political volunteer movements have gained considerable acceptance among the people, even as an alternative to political parties known for being influenced by elite interests and oligarchy.
However, we hope that after the 2024 presidential elections, our democracy can be improved. At least, the party system can be refined so that its duties and functions align with the law and are no longer fraught with operational funding issues.
I agree that political parties should be funded by the state through the national budget (APBN). Consequently, political parties can play a more substantial role in fostering political awareness among the grassroots population, channeling aspirations, and making them national party policies.
Given the use of the national budget, political parties must work transparently and be held accountable, ready for audits and evaluations in accordance with existing regulations.
Only in this way can our democracy and governance system improve without having to rely on people flocking to become political volunteers just to voice their aspirations.
* Asri Tadda, Deputy Chairman of the National Confederation of Anies Volunteers (KoReAn)
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English Edition, APBN, asri tadda, Deputy Chairman of the National Confederation of Anies Volunteers, existing regulations, korean, Political Parties, transparently, Volunteerism
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