Reformulation of the Investigation Time Limit for Money Politics Electoral Crimes in Indonesia
Main
Agus Nanang Irnawan*
Maria Silvya E. Wangga
Tri Sulistyowati
Money politics remains a dominant electoral violation in Indonesia and Malaysia, undermining democratic integrity and the principles of direct, universal, free, secret, honest, and fair elections. Weak law enforcement, normative disparities between election supervisory bodies and national police, and a transactional political culture exacerbate the problem. This paper analyzes criminal law policy on electoral money politics and evaluates reform implementation, focusing on the disharmonization between working-day and calendar-day investigation time limits, which affects the Integrated Law Enforcement Center’s effectiveness. Using normative legal research with statutory, conceptual, and sociolegal approaches, the study finds that money politics persists through cash distribution, social assistance, and misuse of government programs. Discrepancies in time limit terminology stall many cases at investigation stages, as formal and material requirements cannot be met within tight deadlines. Current criminal sanctions lack deterrent effect due to enforcement weaknesses and evidentiary complexity. The paper recommends reformulating investigation time limits from calendar days to working days, strengthening coordination among law enforcement bodies, enhancing political financing transparency, and intensifying public political education to reinforce electoral integrity and prevent money politics.
Aditya, Z. F. (2019). Romantisme Sistem Hukum di Indonesia: Kajian atas Konstribusi Hukum Adat dan Hukum Islam terhadap Pembangunan Hukum di Indonesia. Jurnal Rechtsvinding: Media Pembinaan Hukum Nasional, 8(1), 37–54. https://doi.org/10.33331/rechtsvinding.v8i1.305
Anugrah, M. G. (2025). The Influence of Money Politics on Voter Behavior During Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) in South Sulawesi Province. Moccasin Journal De Public Perspective, 2(3), 136–146. https://doi.org/10.37899/mjdpp.v2i3.236
Aspinall, E. (2014). When Brokers Betray: Clientelism, Social Networks, and Electoral Politics in Indonesia. Critical Asian Studies, 46(4), 545–570. https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2014.960706
Asra, S., & Mauliansyah, F. (2024). Money Politic sebagai Representasi Budaya Patron-Client dalam Pemilu: Perspektif Sosiologi Politik. Jurnal Society : Pengamat Perubahan Sosial, 4(2), 97–119. https://doi.org/10.35308/jspps.v4i2.11502
Aviram, H. (2011). Packer in Context: Formalism and Fairness in the Due Process Model. Law & Social Inquiry, 36(1), 237–261. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-4469.2010.01230.x
Begouvic, M. E. H., & Cuan, B. (2021). Money Politik pada Kepemiluan di Indonesia. Sol Justicia, 4(2), 105–122. https://doi.org/10.54816/sj.v4i2.451
Chin, J. (2022). Malaysia in 2021: Another regime change and the search for Malay political stability. Southeast Asian Affairs, 2022(1), 195–210. https://doi.org/10.1355/9789815011036-013
Fadhlurrahman, R. (2024). Faktor Penyebab Terjadinya Politik Uang dalam Kampanye Berdampak pada Terwujudnya Penyelenggaraan Pemilu 2024 yang Demokratis dan Berintegritas. Aliansi : Jurnal Politik, Keamanan Dan Hubungan Internasional, 3(1), 20–27. https://doi.org/10.24198/aliansi.v2i2.44097
Hasan, E., Aminah, A., Hamil, H. J. H., & Mukhrijal, M. (2023). The Practice of Money Politics in Village Head Elections and Its Effect on The Participation Level of Beginner Voters. Journal of Governance and Public Policy, 10(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.18196/jgpp.v10i1.15576
James, T. S., Garnett, H. A., Loeber, L., & Van Ham, C. (2019). Electoral management and the organisational determinants of electoral integrity: Introduction. In International Political Science Review (Vol. 40, Issue 3, pp. 295–312). Sage Publications Sage UK: London, England. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512119828206
Jiwanti, A. (2024). The Legality Principle’s Expansion in the National Criminal Code as a Manifestation of the Idea of Balance (Tawazun). Journal of Transcendental Law, 6(2), 87–100. https://doi.org/10.23917/jtl.v6i2.6452
Kadir, M. Y. A., Shafiya, N., & Kurniasari, E. (2025). Regulating Political Funding in Southeast Asia: A Comparative Legal Analysis of Transparency and Accountability in Malaysia and Indonesia. Journal of Humanity and Social Justice, 7(2), 178–200. https://doi.org/10.38026/jhsj.v7i2.76
Mahanani, A. E. E. (2019). Rekonstruksi Budaya Hukum Berdimensi Pancasila dalam Upaya Penegakan Hukum di Indonesia. Jurnal Yustika: Media Hukum Dan Keadilan, 22(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.24123/yustika.v22i01.1954
Marzuki, M. (2017). Penelitian Hukum: Edisi Revisi. Prenada Media.
Muhtadi, B. (2019). Vote Buying in Indonesia. Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6779-3
Ningsih, L. D., Suprihatno, A., & Rosidin, U. (2024). Politik Hukum Dalam Sistem Penegakan Hukum Di Indonesia. Bureaucracy Journal: Indonesia Journal of Law and Social-Political Governance, 4(3), 2570–2584. https://bureaucracy.gapenas-publisher.org/index.php/home/article/view/447
Nugroho, S. S., & Haryani, A. T. (2020). Metodologi Riset Hukum. Lakeisha, Klaten.
Orozco-Henríquez, J., & Lindner, R. (2010). Electoral justice: The international IDEA handbook.
Padilah, K., & Irwansyah, I. (2023). Solusi terhadap money politik pemilu serentak tahun 2024: mengidentifikasi tantangan dan strategi penanggulangannya. Jurnal EDUCATIO: Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia, 9(1), 236–250. https://doi.org/10.29210/1202322821
Peter Adoko Obicci. (2025). Corrupt elites, administrative cadres and public service in Africa: Islands of vanity. Journal of Management and Science, 15(1), 42–82. https://doi.org/10.26524/jms.15.6
Putra, R. S., Noorikhsan, F. F., & Sarofah, R. (2024). Problematika Penegakan Pidana Politik Uang. Jurnal Ilmu Politik Dan Pemerintahan, 10(1), 90–99. https://doi.org/10.37058/jipp.v10i1.10824
Rahayu, D. P., Faisal, F., Sari, R., & Satrio, N. (2020). Law enforcement in the context of legal culture in society. Law Reform, 16(2), 276–289. https://doi.org/10.14710/lr.v16i2.33780
Rahyu, S., Suryanef, S., Rafni, A., & Azizah, C. N. (2025). Praktek money politics dalam Pemilu Legislatif tahun 2024. Journal of Education, Cultural and Politics, 5(1), 24–31. https://doi.org/10.24036/jecco.v5i1.610
Ramadhan, R. H., & Azhari, A. F. (2023). Strengthening Election Regulations: Saving Democracy from The Threat of Political Money in Indonesia. Proceeding International Conference Restructuring and Transforming Law, 2(1), 302–309. https://proceedings.ums.ac.id/icrtlaw/article/view/3588
Rundengan, S. (2022). Problematika Pemilu Serentak 2024 dan Rekonstruksi Regulasi. JIDH Kabupaten Batang.
Satria, H. (2019). Politik hukum tindak pidana politik uang dalam pemilihan umum di Indonesia. Integritas: Jurnal Antikorupsi, 5(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.32697/integritas.v5i1.342
Siddiq, A., & Hariyanto. (2024). Legal and Political Policy in Preventing of Money Politics: Case Study and Recommendations. International Journal of Social Science and Religion (IJSSR), 5(2), 187–202. https://doi.org/10.53639/ijssr.v5i2.242
Siddiquee, N. A., & Zafarullah, H. (2022). Absolute Power, Absolute Venality: The Politics of Corruption and Anti-corruption in Malaysia. Public Integrity, 24(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2020.1830541
Singer, M. (2009). Buying voters with dirty money: The relationship between clientelism and corruption. APSA 2009 Toronto Meeting Paper.
Soekanto, S. (2007). Pokok-pokok Sosiologi hukum, PT. Raja Grafindo Persada, Jakarta.
Soekanto, S., & Mamudji, S. (2010). Penelitian Hukum Normatif. Raja Grafindo Persada.
Stasi, A. (2021). Actus Reus and Mens Rea. In General Principles of Thai Criminal Law (pp. 25–30). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8708-5_3
Stojanovic, A. (2011). The principle of certainty of criminal law (lex certa) in case law of the European Court of Rights. Zbornik Radova Pravnog Fakulteta, Novi Sad, 45(1), 455–468. https://doi.org/10.5937/zrpfns1101455S
Suryaningsi, S., & Putri, N. A. (2024). Against The Practice of Money Politics: An Analysis of The Potential For Bribery Prevention In The Conduct of Elections. Journal of Mujaddid Nusantara, 1(2), 78–86. https://doi.org/10.62568/jomn.v1i2.141
Syafrowi, S., Tanjung, D., & Siregar, R. S. (2024). Analyzing Subulussalam Community’s Views on Electoral Money Politics in 2024: Implications for Leadership and Its Benefits. Indonesian Interdisciplinary Journal of Sharia Economics (IIJSE), 7(1), 5405–5414. https://doi.org/10.31538/iijse.v7i1.5549
Tarouco, G. da S. (2023). Integridad electoral: desarrollos conceptuales y desafíos metodológicos. Elecciones, 22(25), 47–86. https://doi.org/10.53557/elecciones.2023.v22n25.02
Tham, J.-C. (2022). Regulating money in politics: from electoral integrity to democratic integrity. In Comparative Election Law (p. 410). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788119023.00034
Van Ham, C. (2015). Getting elections right? Measuring electoral integrity. Democratization, 22(4), 714–737. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2013.877447
