[From an oped piece in Kompas.id by Hakimul Ikhwan titled "Ethics and risks of politicising bansos".]

The 2024 elections left behind ethical and risk issues, one of which is because social assistance (bansos) was used as an electoral political tool, instead of aiming for poverty reduction and social inequality.

This practice not only damages the basic principles of democracy that respect the freedom of the vote, but also widen structural injustice and has the potential to become "a coal in a husk" (a buried resentment) that could ignite social tensions and conflicts.

In the distribution of bansos, the two types of errors that often occur are errors of exclusion and errors of inclusion.

The error of exclusion occurs when individuals or families who should receive social assistance do not get it. While the error of inclusion occurs when individuals or families who should not be entitled to receive help actually get it.

Ironically, the errors of inclusion and exclusion in the distribution of this assistance, which up until now has been caused by technical errors – the availability of data, verification problems and indicators of eligibility – have now turned into a deliberate practice to influence the public's political choices.

The inaccuracy of the distribution of social assistance is due to political interests and nepotism, namely the granting of social assistance is bartered for political interests and kinship relations.

The distribution of docial assistance is carried out in areas that have the potential to increase electoral gain, and utilise patronage and family relations. This distribution does not heed the accuracy of the recipient's data, the verification and validation mechanisms, or the suitability of the beneficiary indicators.

The practice of distributing social assistance with political motives, using patronage and family relations, will increase perceptions about injustice in society.

Individuals or groups who feel excluded by the social assistance distribution system could experience frustration and anger, and become "coals in the husk" that ignite tensions and conflicts between groups or between individuals in society.

The full article can be read here: https://www.kompas.id/baca/opini/2024/03/11/etika-dan-risiko-politisasi-bansos