Menakar Demokrasi Lokal: Antara Uang dan Kekerabatan dalam Kontestasi Reje Kampung di Kabupaten Aceh Tengah
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Pemilihan Reje Kampung di Kabupaten Aceh Tengah mencerminkan dinamika demokrasi lokal yang kompleks, di mana praktik politik uang dan politik kekerabatan menjadi dua elemen dominan yang saling memperkuat. Studi ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis bagaimana praktik politik uang dan politik kekerabatan memengaruhi kualitas demokrasi dan tata kelola pemerintahan lokal di Kabupaten Aceh Tengah. Teori yang digunakan untuk menganalisis fenomena ini adalah teori politik uang dan politik kekerabatan. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif, data dikumpulkan melalui observasi langsung dan wawancara mendalam terhadap informan sampel dari 5 Kampung di Kabupaten Aceh Tengah. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa politik uang tidak hanya menjadi strategi elektoral utama, tetapi juga menurunkan kualitas kepemimpinan dan memperlemah akuntabilitas publik. Sementara itu, politik kekerabatan memperkuat eksklusivitas kekuasaan melalui mobilisasi jaringan sosial berbasis hubungan darah. Ketika keduanya berjalan secara simultan, pemilihan Reje Kampung cenderung menghasilkan kepemimpinan yang tidak representatif dan memperkuat oligarki lokal. Faktor ekonomi, rendahnya pendidikan politik, dan kebiasaan sosial lokal menjadi pendorong utama suburnya praktik ini. Penelitian ini menggarisbawahi pentingnya pendekatan struktural dan kultural dalam merespons tantangan demokrasi lokal serta merekomendasikan penguatan peran lembaga adat untuk memperbaiki integritas pemilihan di tingkat kampung.
Measuring Local Democracy: Between Money and Kinship in the Village Reje Contest in Central Aceh District
Abstract
The election of Reje Kampung in Central Aceh Regency reflects the complex dynamics of local democracy, where the practices of money politics and kinship politics emerge as two dominant and mutually reinforcing elements. This study aims to analyze how these practices influence the quality of democracy and local governance in Central Aceh Regency. The theoretical framework employed includes theories of money politics and kinship politics. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, data were collected through direct observation and in-depth interviews with selected informants from five villages in the region. The findings reveal that money politics not only serves as the primary electoral strategy but also undermines leadership quality and weakens public accountability. Meanwhile, kinship politics reinforces the exclusivity of power through the mobilization of blood-based social networks. When both practices operate simultaneously, Reje Kampung elections tend to produce unrepresentative leadership and strengthen local oligarchies. Economic factors, low levels of political education, and prevailing local social habits are identified as the main drivers of these entrenched practices. This research highlights the importance of structural and cultural approaches in addressing the challenges of local democracy and recommends strengthening the role of traditional institutions to enhance the integrity of village-level elections.
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