Fenomena Politik Kekerabatan pada Pemilu 2024 di Pulau Bangka

Abstract

Kinship politics practices lead to the regeneration of power for the benefit of specific groups, including children, spouses, siblings, with the aim of gaining or maintailing power. Many family members of political elites on Bangka Island are running in the 2024 elections, aiming for positions ranging from local legislative councils to seats in the DPR RI and DPD RI. This study employs Schneider’s (1968) Kinship Politics theory. A descriptive qualitative method with a case study approach is used, where primary data sources are collected from literature supporting the primary information. The informants in this study include clan members or patrons, legislative candidates, political parties, community leaders, and political observers. The results reveal the presence of kinship politics in the 2024 elections on Bangka Island among the families of Sukirman (West Bangka Regent 2021-2024), Syahbudin (Deputy Regent of Bangka 2018-2023), Riza Herdavid (South Bangka Regent 2021-2024), Era Susanto (Deputy Regent of Central Bangka 2021-2024), and Maulan Aklil (Mayor of Pangkalpinang 2018-2023). The forms of kinship politics in Bangka Island include promoting children, spouses, and siblings, utilizing political parties as instruments for kinship politics, creating patterns for mutual family interests, and establishing strong networks in the candidacy process. The development of kinship politics on Bangka Island is driven by factors such as political elites desire to maintain or extend power, political party dysfunction, weak cadre formation, opportunities for kinship politics, voter populism, and an electoral system that allows for kinship politics practices. The supportive family structure and social construction are determining factors, enabling kinship politics to persist in the 2024 electoral contest on Bangka Island.