Pemekaran Daerah Luwu Raya Sebagai Isu Kampanye Pemilihan Gubernur Sulawesi Selatan

Abstract

The regional expansion of the Luwu Raya becomes campaign issue in the election for governor in South Sulawesi. Based on theory, regional expansion is an implementation of the transition of government from centralization to decentralization. Decentralization is a new chapter for the implementation of regional governance in Indonesia. This view believes that the ongoing transition will accelerate regional expansion, which in turn will contribute significantly to the performance of government in the regions. However, this study has a different opinion. The practice of decentralization does not easily support the regional expansion. Researchers focus on the relationship between elites and explore the dynamics between local elites in the discourse of regional expansion. This research took place in Luwu, South Sulawesi using a qualitative approach. The method of data collection was done through direct observation and interviews. Local leaders and elites who were involved either directly or indirectly became key informants. In addition, the data obtained from this study also comes from official government documents and reports, such as BPS periodical reports and official reports that have been released by several agencies. This article found that the planning for regional expansion was actually complicated after the transition of government administration. The practice of decentralization has not only changed the administrative implementation but also arrange political reforms that impact on the implementation of local politics. This research finds the phenomenon of the competition of political influence in electoral vote districts as a manifestation of local political practices that are intertwined with the issue of regional expansion.

The Consistency of Local Elites in the Stages of the Expansion of Central Luwu Regency into a New Autonomous Region

“…The status of the expansion of Central Luwu Regency is currently getting a moratorium from the center, because it is not clear when the moratorium will be lifted angering the Walmas community in particular (Witno et al, 2023). This can be seen from the issues raised in the demands brought by students and the community when carrying out dmonstration actions (Sulaiman, 2017;Syamsu et al, 2020).…”