Legislative candidate pledges to uphold social contract

Hasrul, The Jakarta Post, Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi

Kontu is a teak forest located a kilometer from the capital of Muna regency in Southeast Sulawesi province.

The intense heat did not put a damper on the spirits of the 300 or so Kontu residents who showed up last Sunday at the Wuna customary meeting hall.

The wooden hall was packed with people, mainly men. Meeting participants occupied all the available space, sitting on the floor cross-legged, watching attentively what was taking place.

The meeting seemed somewhat different from usual. On that Sunday afternoon, residents were enthusiastically responding to an invitation from La Bani, 60, the customary head of the Kontu people.

The invitation was issued to attend a meeting with a Southeast Sulawesi Regional Representative Council (DPD) candidate, La Ode Ota, and several activists from local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

"It is the first time that a people's representative candidate has visited us," La Bani said.

For locals, La Ode Ota, or Ota, is not unknown. For the past five years, the bespectacled Ota has worked with the people of Kontu in their struggle to recover ownership of their ancestral land.

"Our hope is that when Ota is elected, he will continue to defend our right to our ancestral land, which is now controlled by the government," La Bani said during the meeting, to the applause of residents.

Ota has vowed to fight for the rights of the people. But promises apparently are not enough for the people of Kontu, his constituency, who live in 40 villages here.

They demanded that Ota sign a social contract with them, which he agreed to do. The meeting was held to hammer out the details of the contract.

By the end of the meeting, Ota had signed a two-point social contract with the community, represented by La Bani as customary head.

After being elected, Ota is obliged to fight for the people's ownership of their land, and he is also required to work to eliminate corruption, collusion and nepotism.

Residents were so pleased with the meeting and the signing of the contract, they collected Rp 279,000 and handed it over to La Ode Ota at the end of the meeting as a campaign contribution.

"We hope you will accept this small contribution. We believe in you and we pray and hope you will be elected," La Bani said.

Ota seemed genuinely touched by the gesture, his hands trembling as he accepted the money from the people. He shed a few tears as he hugged the customary leader.

The idea for the social contract did not arrive out of thin air, but rather was brought up in November by NGO activists in Southeast Sulawesi grouped in a task force called the People's Victory Team.

According to the team's coordinator, Silverius Oscar Unggul, the idea for the social contract was conceived out of concern for the political situation in Indonesia.

"From earlier experience, many candidates only promise to fight for the people's aspirations, but after securing a seat the promises are simply forgotten. So we thought there has to be a kind of a social contract with them," he said.

The idea of social contracts has been spread by the task force through the media and community discussions. But only one out of the 28 DPD candidates in the province have signed a contract, namely La Ode Ota.

This is unfortunate, because the idea of the social contract brings virtue to the process of democracy, Silverius said.

Once a candidate signs a contract, he or she will be obliged to fight for the people, or at least for the constituents that he or she represents.

If a politician violates the contract after he or she is elected, people can demand that the agreement be honored.

Needless to say, the candidate is tied by the social contract, which forces them to obey the will of the people.

"Are candidates brave enough to take this offer?" Silverius asked.