Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Golkar Party has started a program to recruit and give political training to celebrities so they can run for office in the 2014 elections.
Actress Desy Ratnasari, singers Ari Lasso and Katon Bagaskara and former beauty queen Artika Sari Devi are already undergoing Golkar's yearlong "internship" program, meant to get them ready to run for positions in the House of Representatives.
Nurul Arifin, Golkar's deputy secretary general, said on Tuesday that the program had started earlier this year. "We recruit them as our interns to provide them training in politics so they can be ready to join the legislative elections," said Nurul, herself a former actress.
Golkar has formed a special team whose sole purpose is to deal with the celebrities. It is led by senior lawmaker and former television presenter Tantowi Yahya.
The celebrities, Nurul said, have been asked to take a break from show business during the training period so they can concentrate on becoming politicians.
For that, Golkar will pay them a monthly salary, she added. The exact amount wasn't clear, but one party official said the celebrity trainees had received tens of millions of rupiah each month.
The same official also said the party was targeting actresses and singers because they came out on top of recent surveys conducted by Golkar asking people who they wanted as lawmakers. "The latest survey shows that Ayu Ting Ting tops others," the official said, referring to the 19-year-old dangdut singer.
Golkar isn't the only party chasing celebrities. The National Mandate Party (PAN), President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, Prabowo Subianto's Greater Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra) and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) have all recruited top actresses and singers in the past few years.
The PAN has several celebrity lawmakers, such as comedian Eko Patrio, actor Primus Yustisio and actress Raslina Rashidin. The Democrats have singer Tere, actress Vena Melinda and former beauty queen and current graft suspect Angelina Sondakh.
Gerindra has actress Rachel Maryam and singer Jamal Mirdad. The PDI-P has actor Rano Karno, actress Rieke Dyah Pitaloka and comedian Dedi Gumelar. The PAN has even been jokingly labeled the National Actress Party because it counts so many of them as members.
Political analysts have been divided in their opinions of the trend. Some argue celebrities shouldn't be lawmakers because they lack the necessary skills and knowledge. Others say they bring different views and fresh ideas to politics.
The general lack of initiative from celebrity lawmakers and Angelina's recent arrest for graft seem to have dampened prior public enthusiasm for electing famous entertainers.