Semarang, August 20, 2025 — The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Diponegoro University (FISIP Undip), successfully held a screening of the documentary film “Amplop Demokrasi” followed by a public discussion with Prof. Ward Berenschot from Leiden University, the Netherlands, along with several academic discussants from FISIP Undip. The event, held at the FISIP Theater Room, was attended by more than 120 students from various study programs, showing high enthusiasm for issues of democracy and money politics in Indonesia.

The event began at 1:30 PM WIB and continued until late afternoon in an atmosphere full of intellectual spirit. The documentary “Amplop Demokrasi”, the result of research and documentation by Prof. Ward Berenschot, opened the audience’s eyes to the practice of transactional politics that remains widespread in Indonesia’s electoral democracy system.

Prof. Berenschot is a senior researcher at KITLV and a lecturer at Leiden University who has long studied democracy, local politics, and patronage practices in Indonesia. The film “Amplop Demokrasi” is a reflection of his fieldwork in various regions of Indonesia.

After the screening, Dr. Nur Hidayat Sardini, M.Si discussed the film from the perspective of election monitoring. “That the 2024 Regional Elections in several areas were too careless and systematically brutal.” Afterwards, the film was reflected upon from a Film Production perspective by Muhammad Bayu W., M.Si. The discussion proceeded warmly with various critical questions from students regarding the practice of money politics, the culture of patronage, and the challenges of improving the political system from the grassroots.

“It takes a long process to improve Indonesia’s electoral system, and we need to learn from other countries that have been quite successful in implementation,” said Prof. Berenschot during the discussion session.

In his remarks, the Dean of FISIP Undip conveyed that this activity is part of the faculty’s commitment to fostering political literacy and democratic awareness among students. “We want students not only to be spectators of democracy, but also active participants in fighting for the values of political integrity,” he emphasized.

This event also became an open dialogue space among students across disciplines, strengthening collaborative spirit in building a healthier and fairer political future for Indonesia.