By Ali Aminulloh
Have you ever imagined what would happen if the future of a nation for the next five years was traded for just a fifty-thousand-rupiah bill or a package of groceries on the morning before the vote?
That bitter reality is what slaps us in the face today.
Precisely on September 15th, the world commemorates the International Day of Democracy. A moment initiated to celebrate freedom and sovereignty in the hands of the people. But let’s be honest with ourselves: when you stand in the voting booth, do you truly feel you have sovereignty, or do you feel like you are completing a transaction?
The Black Market in the Voting Booth
Let’s speak honestly, without masks. Our democracy today is not doing well. It is in a painful phase of decay. The system that should be the path to produce the best leaders has instead turned into a black market.
Just look at the climate of our elections. Money politics is no longer an open secret; it is considered a mandatory cost to win. When bribing the people is considered normal, that is where corruption undergoes its most dangerous metamorphosis: it changes from a crime into a culture.
Then, what is the impact for you and for all of us?
It’s simple. A leader who rises through large capital and bribery will never focus on serving the people. Their first thought when in office is how to recover the campaign investment that has already been spent. So, do not be surprised if corruption, collusion, and nepotism continue to be born from a political process that has been morally flawed from the start.
What Are We Living For on This Earth?
At this point, let’s step aside for a moment from the hustle and bustle of politics and ask a deeper question to our conscience: What is actually the purpose of our life according to God?
As a faithful nation, we know very well that God created humans not to dominate each other in destructive ways, let alone seize the rights of others for worldly greed. Humans were brought to earth to be caliphs — leaders who carry a mandate, maintain peace, spread compassion, and uphold justice.
When someone is willing to accept a bribe to elect the wrong leader, or when an official steals public money, aren’t we blatantly betraying the very mandate of our creation? We are too busy chasing instant material gain, forgetting why this soul was breathed into our body.
Collecting on the Promise of Pancasila
Isn’t this nation so fortunate to have Pancasila?
The foundation of our state is not just a sentence displayed on a classroom wall. Pancasila is the crystallization of the fundamental values of a deeply religious Indonesian society.
Let’s look at its path carefully. The first principle, Belief in the One and Only God, reminds us that every breath and every political step we take is under God’s supervision. If that fear and respect for God exists, it will shape a Just and Civilized Humanity. From there, the democratic process or Deliberation will run cleanly, without corrupt intrigue. The culmination of it all is prosperity that deserves to be enjoyed together: Social Justice for All Indonesian People.
Pancasila has given us a perfect moral compass. The problem is, are we still holding that compass, or have we already thrown it away for an envelope on election day?
The Choice is in Our Hands
This year’s reflection on the International Day of Democracy should not stop at being just a ceremonial coverage in the mass media. This is a big mirror for all of us.
Democracy without a moral and faith-based compass will only become an empty procedure that legalizes greed. We cannot continue to blame corrupt politicians if we ourselves are still willing to be bought.
Power is a mandate that will be held accountable, not only before human law, but before the Creator. It is time we bring back the values of God and Pancasila into the voting booth.
So, when that election moment comes again later, the simple question returns to you: Will you continue to sell the dignity of this nation, or choose to stand tall guarding your conscience?
Indramayu, September 15, 2026
—–
