PERAN PUNGGAWA DALAM KONTESTASI POLITIK DI KECAMATAN PAMBOANG KABUPATEN MAJENE SULAWESI BARAT

Abstrak

This study explores the strategic role of the “punggawa” as a patronage agent within local political contestation in the fishing communities of Bonde and Nort Bonde villages, Majene Regency, West Celebes. Employing a qualitative method with a case study approach, data were collected through in-depht interviews and field observation to dissect the power relations between the punggawa and the sawi (leborer fisherman). The research findings indicate that the Punggawa’s position has transformed into a central node of political brokerage through the accumulation and conversion of three forms of capital: economic capital via “financing” mechanisms; social capital acting as a domestic economic shield that ensures the survival of fishing families; and symbolic capital rooted in spiritual authority and formal positions. In this coastal ecosystem, the political loyalty of the sawi is not short-term transactional; rather, it is a form of reciprocity for the guaranteed access to production tools and social protection consistenly provider by the punggawa. The punggawa acts as a guarantor (buffer) that minimises the risk of uncertainty regarding candidates’ political promises, establishing them as informal architects capable of determining the effectiveness of vote mobilisation through subtle disciplinary mechanisms. This phenomenon demonstrates a practice of governmentality, where the punggawa regulates the political behaviour of fishermen through economic management. Amidst seasonal uncertainties, this dominance tends to perpetuate hegemonic transactional political practices and hinder substantial democratisation at the local level due to the deep structural dependency of the sawi.

Kata kunci

• fishing community
• kontestasi politik
• local broker
• political patrobage
• power relations
• punggawa-sawi