Track: Case Studies

Abstract

The practice of dynastic politics in Bima Regency is a long drama of concentration of power during the last 20 years, where the last four periods of leadership were controlled by the royal family. The study of political dynasties is not related to a blue-blooded leader or not, but rather about the control of power in a particular family, but it happens that the families who practice dynastic politics in Bima are people from the royal family/sultanate who have indeed reigned in the sultanate. Bima, or to be more precise, the political actors of the dynasty in Bima were the sultan and his wife and children. This research uses qualitative methods with a qualitative descriptive approach. Sources of data in this study are the people of Bolo District who will become voters in the 2020 Pemilukada of Bima Regency. Sampling was based on purposive sampling technique. Data collection techniques are interviews, observation and documentation. The analysis technique used is an interactive analysis model, while the validity of the data uses the source triangulation technique. Dynastic politics in Bima Regency was done by using the image of the sultanate as cultural legitimacy. The Bima community, who were still at the Magis consciousness level, smoothed their steps in getting votes in the contestation for the regent election, even people at this level of awareness became very easy to exploit. The next advantage of the practice of dynastic politics in Bima is that most of the opposition elites are still trapped in a naïve level of awareness where the opposition group does not consider how to take strategic steps to overthrow the great power of the political dynasty. The opposition must accept defeat because it is unable to gather resources to overthrow its political opponents. This can be seen from how the opposition factions were divided into factions which made them weak.