Competitive Threats to Political Dynasty in Indonesia: The Failure of the Yasin Limpo Family in the 2018 South Sulawesi Gubernatorial Election

Authors

Fransiskus Chandra Dwiputra Meliala, University of Indonesia, DepokFollow
Panji Anugrah Permana, University of Indonesia, DepokFollow

Abstract

Political scientists have studied the emergence and success of political dynasties in Southeast Asian countries, with post-New Order Indonesia providing several examples. Scholars have shown that Indonesia's political dynasties struggle to secure succession through local politics, but their analysis does not fully capture the turmoil of a political dynasty. This article analyzes the Yasin Limpo family's instability, focusing on how territorial politics has been exploited by local opposition and dynasties to seize and maintain power. This qualitative study provides a crucial means of understanding the success and failure of political dynasties. This article reveals that to monopolize power; political dynasties must rely not only on maximizing their dominance over the local territory but also on increasing their leverage in national politics. The Yasin Limpo family struggled to do so, facing a lack of national influence and internal family issues. Furthermore, local opponents successfully dismantled the political dynasty after bringing local political conflicts to the attention of national political elites.

Bahasa Abstract

Ilmuwan politik telah mempelajari kemunculan dan keberhasilan dinasti politik di negara-negara Asia Tenggara, termasuk di Indonesia pasca-Orde Baru. Selain itu, beberapa studi juga menunjukkan bahwa dinasti politik lokal di Indonesia ternyata tidak selalu berhasil dalam melangsungkan suksesi melalui pemilihan. Namun, diskusi mereka tidak memberikan gambaran lengkap tentang alasan kegagalan dinasti politik. Melalui kasus keluarga Yasin Limpo di Sulawesi Selatan, artikel ini menganalisis ketidakstabilan kekuasaan dari dinasti politik lokal. Bagaimana dan dalam kondisi apa dinasti politik akan menghadapi tantangan politik yang datang dari dalam dan luar keluarga? Kami berargumen bahwa ketahanan dinasti politik lokal ditentukan oleh hasil dari aktivitas eksploitasi politik teritorial yang dilakukan oleh keluarga politik dan oposisinya. Politik territorial menjadi aspek penting untuk memahami keberhasilan dan kegagalan dinasti politik. Artikel ini menunjukkan bahwa, untuk memonopoli kekuasaan, dinasti politik tidak hanya mengandalkan praktik informal dan ilegal, tetapi juga bergantung pada seberapa besar pengaruh mereka dalam politik nasional. Dari kasus kegagalan keluarga Yasin Limpo di Pemilihan Gubernur Sulawesi Selatan tahun 2018, artikel ini menemukan bahwa keluarga ini kesulitan untuk memonopoli kekuasaan karena kurangnya pengaruh nasional dan adanya masalah internal keluarga. Lebih dari itu, kejatuhan dinasti Yasin Limpo juga disebabkan oleh hadirnya oposisi-oposisi yang berhasil melemahkan kekuatan politik dinasti setelah mereka membawa konflik politik lokal menjadi perhatian elit politik nasional.

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Recommended Citation

Meliala, Fransiskus Chandra Dwiputra and Permana, Panji Anugrah (2023) "Competitive Threats to Political Dynasty in Indonesia: The Failure of the Yasin Limpo Family in the 2018 South Sulawesi Gubernatorial Election," Jurnal Politik: Vol. 9: Iss. 1, Article 1.
DOI: 10.7454/jp.v9i1.1139
Available at: https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/politik/vol9/iss1/1