W

JOURNAL LA SOCIALE
VOL. 03, ISSUE 02 (047-056), 2022
DOI:10.37899/journal-la-sociale.v3i2.592

Sociological Implications of Social Exchange in Regional Head Elections in
Gorontalo Province
Apris Ara Tilome1
1

Gorontalo Muhammadiyah University, Gorontalo, Indonesia

*Corresponding Author: Apris Ara Tilome
Email: apristilome@yahoo.com
Article Info
Article history:
Received 2 March 2022
Received in revised form 24
March 202
Accepted 29 March 2022
Keywords:
Implication
Sociological
Exchange

Abstract
This study aims to dissect the Sociological Implications of Social
Exchange Post-Election of Regional Head Candidates in Gorontalo
Province. Methods of data collection using interviews, documentation
and retrospective. This study produced several findings, including:
First; Political elite social exchange relations are strategic situations
that are mutually dependent, need each other, and are mutually
beneficial as well as an effort to consolidate power to achieve
electability/victory in the momentum of regional head elections. Second;
The pattern of social exchange is based on a number of ownership
potentials in the form of elite, figure and financial resources, which can
determine the social forces that are considered by political parties to
give party approval/recommendations to pairs of candidates for
regional heads. Third, the social exchange strategy between party elites
and political elites uses each other to achieve victory in the contestation
of regional head elections. This study concludes that the sociological
implications of social interactions take place in people's lives before and
after the election of regional head candidates. There are divisions in
society due to friction generated in the election of regional heads
originating from social exchange relations, patterns of social exchange
and social exchange strategies both individually and in groups of
political elites and party elites.

Introduction
The phenomenon of social exchange of political elites in the regional head election, the author
begins by submitting the results of research by LSI and SMRC (2011); Political Indicator
(2013) which found that the high political costs were caused by both pairs of candidates for
regional heads and candidates for legislative members and constituents only to build short-term
(pragmatic) political relations with political parties (Gatra, 2013).
The relevance of the research findings of several survey institutions above indicates that the
level of political mecca in Indonesia has not yet moved from the issue of the struggle for power.
The political system that is supposed to articulate the interests of the people is only a means of
achieving the goals of interest groups. Therefore, the social exchange of political elites is still
a scourge as well as an ulcer in politics in the country. Transactional politics and all the
financial aspects that accompany it are then packaged in more polite terms as a political budget
(political cost) which is also popular as a political budget cycle (Blais, Andre & Nadeau, 1992;
Breder, Adi & Drazen, 2004; Gonzalez, 2002). ; Rogoff, 1987; Shi et al., 2006) where all
budgets related to political financing are considered rational in the democratic process.
In addition to the research in the global context above, the theme of transactional politics has
received a lot of attention from national and local researchers. For example, Hidayat dissects
the elite power relations at the local level between businessmen, rulers, and post-election local
government administration. practice of power oligarchy. According to him, the construction
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base of the power oligarchy varies based on the strength of political parties, kinship ties, ethnic
ties, and family relationships. The practice of power oligarchy is relatively effective in the
administration of regional government because it is supported by the existence of shadow
politics and business managers who act as liaison actors between regional officials and the
community in general and to entrepreneurs in particular (Hidayat, 2007).
Muhtadi (2013) on money politics and electoral dynamics describes the rise of money politics
due to two main things, namely: First, the lack of closeness of voters to political parties.
Second, the poor performance of political parties in the eyes of the public because many party
cadres are involved in corruption cases (Muhtadi, 2013). On the other hand, Razaqtiar (2016)
examines the role of political parties in regional head elections. In the case of the 2013
Karanganyar Regional Head Election, it was concluded that the victory of the regional head
candidate pair was not only determined by the popularity of the regional head candidate pair,
political parties had an important role not only as a political vehicle but also as a means of
bringing together a number of strategic ideas to increase the electability rating of regional head
candidates (Razaqtiar, 2016).
Likewise, the results of quantitative research conducted by Indora (2014) which found that
there was a significant influence between the influence of transactional politics on voter
behavior in regional head elections (Indora et al., 2014). Likewise, the findings of Rachim's
(2017) doctoral dissertation with the theme of transactional politics in Makassar City explained
that the proximity of political actors to a number of regional officials had a significant impact
on the electability of legislative candidates (Rachim, 2017).
The findings of these previous studies are, in principle, sufficient to explain that the current
democratic process still opens the widest possible space for the practice of social exchange of
political elites. This phenomenon at the same time nourishes the practice of petronage and
clientelism in democracy. Petronase is defined as a form of material distribution or political
benefits made by politicians to their constituents, while clientelism is the character of the
relationship between politicians and their constituents (Aspinall et al., 2015).
Substantively, previous research with the theme of social exchange of political elites can be
grouped into two study patterns, namely: First, researchers describe the important role of
transactional politics to support the power of regional head candidates, legislative candidates
and voters and political parties are a condition that is interdependent and mutually beneficial.
Second, transactional politics is a scourge and an ulcer that undermines the democratic system
because it only perpetuates the pragmatic relationship of every element related to the
implementation of the political process (regional head/legislative candidates, constituents, and
political parties). As a result, the articulation of the interests of the people is defeated by the
interests of the elite and limited interest groups. This also shows that the ontological reality of
previous studies is still based on the classical paradigm of political sociology, only limited to
the problem of patron-client relations.
In contrast to this research, which aims to explore the post-structural and post-material space,
it focuses on the elements behind the reality of the social exchange of political elites in the
contestation of regional head elections. The elements behind reality as an object of ontology
(area of knowledge) are not only to identify the social exchange of political elites thematically
but also how social exchange works, is constructed, or is operationalized behind the apparent
reality. The social exchange of political elites, voters, and political parties as a manifestation
of achieving pragmatic goals that injure the general election system is not a natural
phenomenon but a complex representation of multi-political interests.
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The ontological novelty (state of the art) of this research is strengthened by the sociological
fact that the process of holding regional head elections, including in Gorontalo Province in
2017 is still colored by the existence of social exchanges of political elites. The phenomenon
of transactional politics in Gorontalo Province, Gorontalo Regency, and Bone Bolango
Regency as a research locus is even more interesting to study. For example, the 2017
gubernatorial election which was won by Rusli Habibie and Idris Rahim as cadres of the
National Mandate Party actually won through the Golkar Party, because the National Mandate
Party gave recommendations to non-cadre candidate pairs. In Gorontalo Regency, the regional
head election was won by a pair of candidates from among political party cadres. Meanwhile,
in Bone Bolango Regency, which is the basis of the Indonesian Unity Party, it gave
recommendations to non-cadres but suffered defeat.
Transactional politics has a very broad scope, it can touch all political activities. Both the
election of the President, Governor, Mayor/Regent even at the village head level requires
political transactions. The costs incurred during the presidential and regional elections are a
burden that must be returned when someone has gained power.
Competition between political parties makes each candidate for power try his best to spread
influence on the public to get the support of the Party. This action actually fosters money
politics among party elites and can affect the democratization of regional head elections.
In the perspective of political sociology, it is certain that there will be socio-political exchanges
between the political elite and the electorate. Political reality does necessitate an attitude of
interdependence and mutual benefit (symbiotic mutualism) between patron-clients. Money,
which was originally a tool for economic transactions, has been transformed into an effective
tool for obtaining non-economic benefits from the seat of power. It is clear that it is difficult
for regional head candidates to get support if they are not accompanied by money. Money is
used not only to gain support from constituents but also to bind constituent support. Thus, the
social exchange of political elites actually reflects cultural expression, the result of social
construction of society that forms an important link between political events and individual
behaviors in reacting to these events (Gaffar, 1989). Basically politics is a compromise or
sharing of power. This is not only in Indonesia, but also throughout the world that adheres to a
democratic system. Politics is a power-sharing process, where a person or group of people who
gain power will share power with others.
Usually, the division of power is related to the political coalition that was previously built. It
is this coalition that allows for the social exchange of political elites. Before a coalition is built,
the exchange of political elites must be agreed upon. If in practice there is betrayal, then the
political agreement can be evaluated or not carried out at all. What is interesting from the
researcher is the social exchange in the political elite among party elites who do not consider
political ethics in determining regional head candidates. In Gorontalo, the chairman of political
party A sells his party to a candidate for regional head who does not have a party, and the party
owner nominates himself with another party that meets the requirements for regional head
candidacy.
The concept of the problem above is further relevant in the research question what are the
sociological implications of social exchange after the regional head election in Gorontalo
Province. The purpose of this research is to find out the process, meaning, and implications of
social exchange relations and patterns of political elites, political parties and the voting
community and how the social exchange strategy is maximized. Therefore, the objectives to be
achieved in this study are to understand the relation of socio-political exchange between the
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political elite in the election of the head of the country, and to explain the sociological
implications of social exchange on social interaction after the election of regional heads.
Methods
Paradigm and Type of Research
The research is not only to identify and understand the reality of the social exchange of political
elites but also to find the meaning behind the reality, considering that the trend of relationships
that are built in social exchange is generally pragmatic. The research paradigm that is
considered relevant for this research is the constructivist paradigm. The constructivist paradigm
is mainly based on the ontological assumption that the reality of political elite relations is
formed as a result of social construction which is bridged by a certain value system, which can
be relative or tentative in accordance with the interests to be achieved. The ontological
explanation of the social exchange of political elites can be examined in terms of the degree of
structuration relationship that influences each other in the form of competition and cooperation.
The constructivist paradigm's epistemology is bridged by hermeneutic and dialectical
subjective transactional values between researchers and the phenomenon of social exchange of
political elites. That is, the methodology used prioritizes comprehensive and contextual
analysis to find the truth by revealing the real truth behind the reality that occurred. Because
this research methodology uses a comprehensive and contextual analysis, the approach used is
a qualitative approach (Ratna, 2010).
Thus, its axiological consequences for the contribution of discourse and knowledge about these
issues are used as channels in determining and voicing choices by all stakeholders in the
momentum of the regional head elections in Gorontalo Province in particular, and in Indonesia
in general.
Research Focus and Locus
Observing the problems raised in the previous chapter, there are at least four main issues that
need to be analyzed, namely the process of elite social exchange; the influence of elites on
political party administrators in determining regional head candidates, and the sociological
impact of elite social exchange on voters (voters).
In order to avoid bias in interpretation of the subject matter, it is further necessary to state the
operational limitations as follows; The sociological implication is how the socio-political
interaction takes place in people's lives after the election of regional head candidates. Is society
fragmented, causing friction and how to reduce its potential.
Research Locus. The research was carried out in the scope of Gorontalo Province by selecting
3 main loci, namely Gorontalo Province, Gorontalo Regency, and Bone Bolango Regency.
These three loci were deliberately chosen by considering several facts which include; In
Gorontalo Province, there is a practice of social exchange between political parties in
determining candidates for regional heads related to socio-political aspects and taking into
account aspects of regional and environmental risks. Gorontalo Province has 1 (one) City and
5 (five) regencies which since the 2005 regional head election to 2017 have strong indications
of the practice of social exchange within the political elite. In the process of succession of
regional heads, political parties take advantage of candidate pairs to strengthen their political
influence to gain support from the public (voters). Pairs of candidates for regional heads, voters,
and political parties do not have a close relationship both ideologically and sociologically. The
political paradigm between regional head candidates, voters, and political parties is oriented to
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the use of pragmatic strategic situations to achieve temporary goals. Data collection techniques
include structured in-depth interviews, documentation, retrospectives.
Results and Discussion
Sociological implications of social exchange on social interaction after the election of regional
head candidates
Social Polarization Due to Social Exchange
Political polarization in society, which will split into two opposing poles over an issue, policy,
or ideology, has shaped the face of Indonesian politics recently. This tendency is the effect of
party elites in carrying out social exchange. Many studies have proven that mutual trust
between citizens is the micro foundation that will encourage community members to
participate in the political process. Through various voluntary channels, political participation
will ultimately foster democracy. Therefore, it is feared that the erosion of mutual trust among
citizens will affect people's reluctance to participate in the political process.
The polarization impact of social exchange will affect the low level of political participation,
such as the low use of voting rights and citizen involvement in campaigns and public policy
making, which affects the low quality of democracy.
In many cases, polarization is generally an extension of the differences in political lines that
grow among the elite in the legislature, which then affects the political behavior of citizens.
For example, the different positions of the party elite will split and adopt other elite positions
that are supported by the party as a result of social exchanges.
However, in recent Indonesian politics, polarization is more of a popular phenomenon that
develops at the mass level, rather than the political elite. The non-ideological tendency of
Indonesian party politics allows the political elite to maneuver in all directions. Generally they
cluster at the poles of the ruling coalition. There are many motives, of course, but it's easy to
find the economic and political advantage behind them.
This coalition change was not immediately followed by its supporters. Voters' commitment
to the candidates they support appears stronger than elite pragmatism. In addition, another
important fact emerges: many people are becoming more politically aware, curious about the
candidates and the policies they offer, and participating in campaigning for the candidates
they support. In short, polarization has activated those who were not previously involved in
politics to be more active in politics.
Another impact of the strengthening of mass polarization in social exchange is that candidates
are encouraged to differentiate the policies they offer voters. For candidates, it is important to
retain their loyal supporters. For voters, such polarization will help them choose the right
candidate.
The polarization of the voting community in addition to the existence of socio-political
exchanges, is also polarized with the emergence of new parties that have their respective mass
bases. And the community, consciously or not, has been hegemonized by party elites who are
temporary or temporary which only applies during the regional head election.
Observing the patterns of political parties, it can be concluded that there is no ideological
distance between political parties. Some political observers argue that this phenomenon is
pragmatic politics, namely the politics of shortcuts and practical ways to rule by putting aside
party ideology.
However, according to the author, it is more appropriate to call it opportunist politics, namely
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the mere desire to gain power by making the best use of every opportunity without ideology
at all. Pragmatic politics puts aside an ideology that essentially exists, but opportunists have
absolutely no ideology.
Thus political polarization occurs, with hard-line Islamic understanding at one pole and
Pancasila ideology at the opposite pole. This symptom can be interpreted that some people
are starting to question the constitution, some are doubting the basic ideology of the state
Pancasila.
Many parties argue that the impact of social exchanges carried out by political parties and
party elites can polarize society as the general election approaches and is more pronounced in
regional head elections. And if this polarization is not good and does not maintain the integrity
of the nation and state in the Unity of the Republic of Indonesia, this will have an impact and
lead to an ideology that invites the division of the people which will lead to the dissolution of
the state.
The phenomenon that occurs in society with the existence of social exchange theory is not as
good as imagined by political elite figures in the party to determine the candidate pair who
will become the owner of power.
Indeed, at first glance, social exchanges are indeed beneficial for political elites and parties,
because it may be, although not transparently, that social and political exchanges mean that
political transactions occur, both materially and non-materially. The beneficiaries of this
socio-political exchange are the political elites and parties to take advantage of the moment
of the regional head election. While the impact on the grassroots society was polarization
between party supporters and political elites which led to the weakening of social ties in
community groups who were initially united and together and even did not get anything from
political elite and party leaders, slowly this socio-political exchange took place. make society
divided pragmatically consciously or unconsciously.
On the other hand, the weakening of social ties in social exchange does not only occur in the
community, even among political elites and party leaders, they will touch each other if there
are no agreements that lead to "political transactions."
In addition to the weakening of social ties, this social exchange has an impact on future risks
in building communication between party elites and their supporters if the candidate they
support can win the post-conflict local election. Therefore, political elites must be able to
control their supporters and political opponents to build togetherness with the party that wins
the election.
Basically, humans are social beings who will always need other people to interact or live their
lives as good citizens and participate in democratic parties in determining their agency rights
as participants must vote. Humans do not live as individual beings, but humans are part of a
society that has social ties within its own community which are found in various ethnic groups,
customs, languages, and different ways of interacting.
The Birth of Exchange Theory George Homans views social behavior as an exchange of
activities and interests held by each individual. Homans' exchange theory is the interaction
between individuals who exchange interests with the basic law of "rewards and benefits
obtained by individuals who make the exchange". Social exchanges that occur in society are
not always static, because individuals do not always benefit from the process of social
exchange, therefore propositions need to be made.
According to Homans, there is a basic assumption of mutual benefit so that this behavior
becomes a social exchange behavior. In the example above, it is a social exchange behavior
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because they exchange smiles with each other. In Homans' concept, this exchange behavior
is strongly influenced by several propositions that can determine whether the behavior is
repeated or avoided.
Changes in The Pre- and Post-Election Political Constellation
In addition to the fading of ideology in the post-conflict local election political constellation,
political parties are also trapped in a political situation that tends to be pragmatic and
transactional, which makes ideology and political platforms no longer the main foothold in
contesting and negotiating. All parties in the election ultimately tend to be "middle" or more
moderate, and fight for the same niche with other parties.
This phenomenon has finally encouraged political parties to compete for votes by offering
short-term rational considerations in election campaigns. In the political moment between the
two elections, the pragmatism of political parties can be observed from the pattern of
coalitions and changes in coalitions. The trend of post-election political parties and postconflict local elections will be the emergence of new species of political parties that will be
played by political elites and political parties. Because the contribution of political
pragmatism to the new party species will be predicted to be the future of political parties after
the old parties are tested in public after the election.
Political dynamics in the last few decades have basically opened up opportunities for the
expansion of the party model. Second, in the existing typology, Gunther and Diamond assess
that although there are various criteria, there are still shortcomings in creating a typology that
is consistent and compatible between one type or model with another. Some typologies are
based on functional criteria, classifying parties based on the purpose of their presence with
certain goals being pursued. Several other typologies are based on the size of the party
structure with complex infrastructure and networks and relations with social organizations.
Therefore, the author sees the tendency of political parties' political attitudes both in the
election and after the election to become the basis for building an analysis of the development
of new party species variations. In general, there are three important aspects that need to be
observed from the post-conflict local election situation, namely, first, the organizational
model of the party which is not clearly defined. In its development, there is no single political
party that has a tendency to only one pole type of political party such as the classification of
Gunther and Diamond. Political parties in Indonesia seem to combine the three elements of
the electoral party classification. Meanwhile, several political parties in Indonesia tend to
develop between two poles (catch-all personalistic and catch-all programmatic). Second,
policy formulation is made reactively and does not reflect a deep understanding and has a firm
foundation of constituency claims.
The Unexpected Excesses of that Social Exchange
Every human being has the potential to become a political person, so be a healthy politician.
And we really cannot avoid this politics because this is every year before the political year,
the year of the general election for presidential and legislative candidates, as well as the
election of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), even to the election of regional
heads.
There are those who choose to stay on the neutral path, there are those who are consistent for
abstention and there are those who show their support frontally. Ethically, of course,
everything is healthy, but there are also those who are affected by the excesses of supporting
fellow political elites and parties through social and political exchanges. The excess of politics
in socio-political exchange is division among supporters. The election contestation, for
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example, should be greeted with joy, not hostility. Although, indeed every contestant and
contestant's supporters always want the champion to win. There is no problem, as long as it
does not cause bloodshed among the nation's children. So the solution is to fight with
argument, not with sentiment. Therefore, politics becomes the highest science in civilization,
because every politician must be able to get rid of that difficulty, every politician must be able
to distribute justice in power. The political excesses of social exchange among party elites
always lead to a diversity of differences both within the party elite and among its supporters.
Whereas the General Election of Regional Heads which was held either through sociopolitical exchanges or independently encountered several problems such as money politics,
the elected regional heads were heavily involved in corruption cases, as well as the tendency
of the community to be materialistic, the emergence of horizontal and vertical conflicts in the
life of the state, the post-conflict local election prioritizes public figures so that Not necessarily
the elected regional head is a regional head who has good organizational management skills,
and conflicts in the bureaucracy cause services to become unegalitarian, not to mention if
there are conflicts, riots, infrastructure damage during the campaign period and afterward.
That there are positive and negative impacts from the regional head elections but in its
implementation there are too many negative impacts obtained from the positive impacts
obtained from the direct regional head election system, the positive impact is that the people's
voice is more respected and people's sovereignty is more recognized but if it is still there is
money politics "Political Transactions" caused by the social exchange of political elites and
party elites, then this behavior will have negative excesses.
This includes wasting too much time, money and energy, not achieving the goals and
objectives of the general election itself and only benefiting a few political elites and party
elites. There is money politics so that people change their mindset to become materialistic.
The occurrence of conflict in the midst of society both vertically and horizontally. Problems
in implementation are related to technical and stages of regional head elections that raise
various problems. The high number of corruption cases caused by the implications of money
politics in the general election for regional heads directly causes basic services and public
services to become inegalitarian. High abstentions and invalid votes. The tendency of people
to choose based on public figures and pay less attention to leadership abilities.
In learning democracy in a country, it is true that sometimes you have to spend a lot of money,
energy, and time, but it must really be studied in depth whether the method or system used
today is really effective and efficient to become a regional head election system in Indonesia.
Therefore, the author tries to provide an overview of the efficiency and effectiveness of direct
regional head elections with the current system.
When viewed from the phenomenon of the election of regional heads, the community prefers
leadership on the figure factor. So that it can be rearranged to strengthen the legitimate and
simplify the requirements if there are figures or community leaders who are supported by the
community through independent. Direct regional head elections in Indonesia should be
improved from a mature democratic aspect if it is to be implemented efficiently and
effectively, there must be a high level of political awareness from the political elite players
and the public.
The Regional Head Election (Pemilukada) is a democratic arena for the community to take
part in determining their voting rights to elect a regional head leader. However, the tendency
for conflict to occur in the community is part of the political dynamics, the community will
provide support to the candidate pairs which can lead to conflict, excesses in the post-conflict
local election. However, all of this will be able to minimize conflicts between communities
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influenced by political elites as a result of socio-political exchanges, as well as campaign
strategies that are not in accordance with the rules, money politics, group sentiment,
intimidation and supervision carried out by organizers or parties who take advantage of this.
moment of regional head election for temporary interest.
Based on the results of the research described above, the Sociological Implications of the
election of regional heads in the province of Gorontalo are very unique and interesting to
observe.
Sociologically, the community has understood that approaching the post-conflict local
election will naturally have implications for polarization in society with different political
conditions. Moreover, if there is a socio-political exchange, the community, especially party
sympathizers, will adjust to the current situation. This only lasted for a moment in the
implementation of the post-conflict local election. After that, the community will re-unite after
the post-conflict local election is over, although excesses from the post-conflict local election
can still occur.
It has become part of the post-conflict local election, be it party elites or the community, by
itself, will be polarized with the situation leading up to the democratic party until the
completion of the political celebration. Moreover, if there is a social exchange of party elites,
there will be different community groups in determining their political direction. After the
completion of the democratic party, it is hoped that there will be no more polarization, both
within the party and in the lower society.
Every time before the general election, as well as the election for governors, regents and
mayors, the public will be massively polarized by the party elite playing both internally and
externally. Even in the election for the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), the voters
were already polarized with their own choices. As the leader of the party or candidate for the
DPD, keep this community well so as not to spread hate issues to one of the candidates.
Political researchers (Sartori, 1976) argue that the implications of socio-political exchange
will be political polarization, because of the ideological distance between political parties.
Observing the patterns of attitude of Indonesian political parties after the New Order, we can
determine whether there is an ideological distance between parties so that we can conclude
whether there is a political polarization.
Observing the patterns of political parties, it can be concluded that there is no ideological
distance between political parties. Some political observers argue that this phenomenon is
pragmatic politics, namely the politics of shortcuts and practical ways to rule by putting aside
party ideology. Sociological implications are not only shaped by ideology alone, but there are
things that happen to people's lives, in addition to party ideology, also to candidates who will
be paired as candidates for Governor, Regent and Mayor.
Conclusion
Based on the descriptions on the discussion of the problems that have been carried out, it can
be concluded as follows. The process of succession of regional heads, political elites and
political parties takes advantage of each other's candidate pairs to strengthen their political
influence to gain support from the public (voters). Because in fact the pair of candidates for
regional heads, voters, and political parties have close relations both ideologically and
sociologically. Sociological implications occur in socio-political interactions during the period
of regional head elections and post-election of regional head candidates. Society will be
fragmented, and cause friction according to its potential. If the political elite and the party elite
conduct social exchanges in the regional head election, they must consider the candidates or
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figures that will be carried in the regional head election, be it Governor, Regent, and Mayor.
Because the culture in Gorontalo Province is still more dominant in choosing figures or figures
who are worthy of leading the community. Apart from the figures, the political elites pay
attention to their human resources. Because there are many figures who have more financial
resources, but cannot win the regional head election because of low human resources. In order
to reduce the implications of political friction due to socio-political exchanges and the
polarization of society at the lower levels, it is hoped that party elites, political elites, election
administrators (KPU), election supervisory bodies (Bawaslu) as well as the government and
society together maintain community security stability.
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