Psychics employed to net voters
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As with the adage "many roads to Rome", many legislative hopefuls have been inspired to explore all possible means to achieve their political goals, whether at the national or local level, even to the point of referring to a dukun, a shaman or soothsayer.
Some candidates seem to think they will have a better chance if they asked for the assistance of a dukun to influence the minds of eligible voters in their favor.
Pak Dukun HR Sunaryo told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that he had received several legislative candidates from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who came to consult him about their strategy and prospects of winning.
"Business is slower these days compared to before the election campaign. But it has been compensated by the arrival of legislative candidates seeking a blessing or talisman to lure voters," said Sunaryo, who has worked as a shaman since 1977.
Sunaryo said the candidates refused to queue among his regular clients during his 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. working hours, because they were ashamed to be caught visiting a dukun.
Many of the political aspirants had sought out Sunaryo at his house on Jl. Ketapang I/88, Depok, West Java, a day before their scheduled campaign day and made a special appointment for a ritual to God.
The candidates generally paid Sunaryo Rp 1 million (US$116) to Rp 2 million per ritual. According to tradition, dukun do not charge specific fees, and instead rely on the integrity of their clients for a "donation" for services performed.
"However, some of them only paid me Rp 20,000, although they came from a big party and looked wealthy. For me, this is unethical behavior," said Sunaryo.
A. Havizi Kurnain, a PDI-P executive and a legislative candidate for South Kalimantan, dismissed Sunaryo's claims, saying the practice was against Islam.
"I don't believe in shamans. They are all liars. But the party has never banned its candidates from consulting shamans; it is up to individuals in the party," he said.
Aside from PDI-P, Golkar Party candidates are also said to have resorted to a soothsayer to secure votes.
Ibu Rani of Jl. Johar Baru, Central Jakarta, said she had also received several candidates, mostly from the Golkar Party, who consulted her on how they could gain votes during the election.
"Several candidates have asked me to help guide them in the election, because they are not confident they can win a seat. I charge them Rp 150,000 for one consultation," said Rani, who is a Feng Shui specialist.
She said she once told a candidate to replace his brand-new dining table because it would bring bad luck. In another case, she told a candidate to rearrange his bedroom because it was not harmonious with his spiritual nature.
Agoest Zakaria, Golkar Party vice chairman for Jakarta, said he did not believe his colleagues had undertaken such irrational actions.
"Come on, this is a modern world. There is no such thing as a magical spell to lure voters," he said.
Siti "Tutut" Hardijanti Rukmana, the vote-getter of the Concern for the Nation Functional Party (PKPB), is also alleged to have consulted psychics before going for a campaign.
A source in the PKPB said that Tutut, the eldest daughter of former president Soeharto, suddenly decided on Monday to hold an outdoor campaign in Jakarta in an atypical place, following recommendations from her personal team of psychics.
Unlike other parties, which preferred to hold a massive outdoor campaign in a popular spot, the PKPB held its campaign on Monday in an empty lot located in the middle of a hectic industrial estate in Ujung Menteng, East Jakarta.
PKPB campaign head Vice Adm. (ret) Abu Hartono dismissed the allegation, saying that the party had chosen the place merely because all other popular areas were unavailable that day.