Indonesia Topics

It’s probably rare, but in this information age, Sjahrazad Masdar took the opportunity. Masdar totally realize that there are only about 5-10% of Lumajang population who use the Internet and have votes in the next Pilkada Bupati (mayor) Lumajang. Does this really matters to the Lumajang voters?

“10% is fairly huge number. If I could get the 10%, then I only need to work another 42% votes to make sure that I will be the next Lumajang mayor,” says Masdar to IndonesiaTopics.Com.

Masdar’s opinion is optimistic and realistic. Blog makes life easier to communicate with potential voters. He believes that those people who come to his blog and got the right to vote next July are rational voters.

“At least, they know computers, internet and they are part of the best human resources that Lumajang have. We bring web 2.0 to voters ,” says Masdar who just won Golkar Party Convention.

Masdar’s blog located in CakAjad08.Com is maintained by Syamsul Arief Rakhmadani, a public relation professional in Jakarta, together with his team from Australia and Lumajang. Rakhmadani is fully aware that having a blog may rise the “intellectual” perspective of one candidate.

“It means that if you vote for Masdar, you don’t vote for a bloody stupid or I might say intellectually poor person who runs for Bupati. Masdar exactly knows information technology and Lumajang people need this kind of leader to take Lumajang forward,” says Rakhmadani.

Public relation theory speaking that image is definitely important in political marketing. Masdar’s image is smart inside out. He has a long great track record in public servant and had been a great temporarily acting Jember’s Mayor during Jember Pilkada.

“So, having a blog is a fantastic move to Masdar image as well as a great tool of political communication,” says Rakhmadani.

Jakartans are among the nation’s most generous people when it comes to helping out those in need, according to the results of a survey announced Wednesday.

In a survey of 11 major cities, residents of Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya and Makassar ranked first when it comes to giving to family, friends, beggars and people in need, respectively.

The survey, by the Public Interest Research and Advocacy Center (PIRAC), was conducted at the end of 2007, involving a total of 2,500 respondents, said researcher Hamid Abidin.

The survey found, among other things, 43.7 percent of all respondents have a special budget for donations, almost triple the 16 percent in surveys conducted in 2000 and 2004.

Among the total respondents, 99.6 percent said they had given a donation in the past year, a slight decrease from 99.8 percent in 2004 but higher than 98 percent in 2000.

The amount of money respondents said they allocated for donations, however, was up from Rp 663,661 (US$69) per person per year in 2004 to Rp 767,272.

“There has also been a change in people’s motivation to donate, where it is no longer just the conventional religious or cultural obligation. We saw an increase in public donations to economic empowerment programs, legal advocacy as well as for the development of arts and culture,” Hamid said.

“The potential (for donations) grows as more people become aware of what they can do to help others and the environment. But this has not yet been tapped by the government or organizations in need of funding for their social and environmental programs.”

The survey, called The Pattern and Potential of People’s Donations, was supported by the Indonesian Philanthropy Association (PFI) and the Ford Foundation.

A significant increase in donating was seen in Jakarta, Semarang and Pontianak, while respondents in Manado, Balikpapan, Medan and Surabaya were less interested in donating compared to the 2004 survey. Denpasar remained relatively unchanged from one survey to the next.

Eighty-two percent of respondents in Jakarta gave money to relatives in need, an increase from 76 percent in 2004 and 63 percent in 2000; 95 percent gave to street beggars while 66 percent gave to natural disaster victims or to people they had never met who were in need of assistance.

“The donors, however, prefer to meet the recipients directly … either because they don’t trust the aid organizer or the non-profitable organization managing the money for their programs,” Hamid said.

PFI chairman Ismid Hadad said donor education was needed to increase people’s awareness of the importance of donating to strategic, long-term programs.

“Both donors and organizations managing the funds must learn that transparency and accountability in the use of donations will ensure the sustainability of public donations.

“As an incentive, the government could consider giving the donors tax deductions or tax exemptions,” he said.

Currently, only Muslims giving annual alms enjoy a 2.5 percent income tax deduction.

Giving to people in need

1. Makassar 69%
2. Jakarta 66%
3. Bandung 66%
4. Semarang 62%
5. Surabaya 60%
6. Padang 56%
7. Medan 47%
8. Pontianak 44%
9. Manado 40%
10. Balikpapan 36%
11. Denpasar 33%

Source: PIRAC, 2007

The Jakarta post