translation Malaysian politicians are turning to the supernatural to keep them in office or win posts. They go in search of spells and shamans not only in Malaysia, but as far as Thailand and Indonesia.

In Indonesia, among the popular destinations to engage the services of a 'bomoh' (shaman) is Asahan in Sumatra.

Basir Zakaria (left), a businessman in Kuala Lumpur, who hails from Medan, Indonesia, revealed that he and his friends have taken a few Malaysian politicians to visit a bomoh in Asahan.

This happened just weeks before the Umno elections in 2004, he told malaysiakini when met recently.

According to Basir, 30, he was introduced to the politicians by a third party who told him that they needed the services of the bomoh as they were planing to contest for 'high posts'.

"Some friends and I met the politicians at the Tanjung Balai harbour in Sumatra and took them to Asahan some 50km away," he said.

"They paid the bomoh RM10,000 - as a middleman, I got a small cut," he added.

Basir said last year he also arranged a trip for a group of politicians from Selangor to meet with the bomoh in Asahan.

He quipped that when the Umno election or general election seasons starts, many politicians will go on 'tours' to Asahan.

Money not an issue

Meanwhile, Basir's friend, who wanted to be known only as Hendra, said Umno leaders seeking the services of Indonesian bomohs was nothing new.

Apart from Asahan, he said Umno politicians also frequented other destinations like Surabaya and Pekalongan in Jawa to meet bomohs.

"They are not worried about payment as long as they achieve their objectives," added Hendra.

According to him, bomohs in Indonesia were more effective and much cheaper compared to their Malaysian counterparts.

Furthermore, he said there were many 'political bomohs' in Indonesia who helped their local politicians during elections.

"In Indonesia, bomohs are prevalent and thus there are those who specialise in political matters," he added.

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Tomorrow: Politicians: Yes, we use bomohs!
Yesterday: Politics of spells and shamans