Students earn good money during election campaign

Students earn good money during election campaign

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The first day of the gubernatorial election campaign in West
Sumatra province has brought unexpected benefits to the
university students of Padang city. For only pasting up posters
of the candidates, they are paid Rp 60,000 (US$6.4) a day, and
receive T-shirts bearing the likenesses of the candidates for
whom they are working.

Ilham, a student in the city, said on Friday that he had been
employed to paste up posters around the city on Thursday evening
and had been paid Rp 60,000 for his efforts.

"The payments are made on a "per-motorcycle" basis. Rp 60,000
is paid in respect of each motorcycle used. If two people ride on
the same motorcycle, then the Rp 60,000 is divided between them
so that each receive Rp 30,000, plus a T-shirt," said Ilham as
quoted by Antara.

Ilham said that he pasted up 300 posters in one night in the
Andalas area, while other students had been assigned to do the
same thing in other parts of the city.

Roy, a fellow student of Ilham's at Andalas private university
in Padang, recounted a similar story.

"It's good money. I can use it to buy cigarettes. I will do it
again today if there are any candidates willing to pay," said Roy
on Friday.

Friday was the first day of the 14-day campaign period in the
province, and the candidates availed of it to present their
manifestos to the public at the West Sumatra provincial council
building.

The candidates competing for the posts of governor and deputy
governor in the first direct local leadership election in the
province are Leonardy Harmainy and Rusdi Lubis, M. Kapitra Ampera
and Dalimi Abdullah, Gamawan Fauzi and Marlis Rahman, Irwan
Prayitno and Ikasuma Hamis, and Jeffrie Geovanie and Dasman
Lanin.

The gubernatorial election will be held on June 27.