Abstract
<p>Majority studies on electoral dynamics in Indonesia are reinforce patronage as a pattern of relationships between candidates, winning team, and voters. One of winning team element which have little attention from scholars is bureaucrat. Although, normatively, bureaucrats are required to neutral in all type of general election, but in fact bureaucrats is very involved deeply in general elections. Based on empirical research in Sintang District and Ketapang District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, we found that bureaucrats have a significant role as a winning team in <em>pilkada</em> (direct election for local leader). Patronage is a keyword to explain political relation between bureaucrats and candidate in <em>pilkada</em>. This situation was triggered by the fact that there are many candidates who have social background as civil servant and, consequently, have direct access to bureaucracy. Bureaucrats have high motivation to participate in <em>pilkada</em> as a broker due to protecting their vested interest. In our cases, the vested interest of bureaucrat is career stability which is promising additional personal revenue and social status. Consequently, staffing (circulation of position) within bureaucracy does not followed by auction mechanism (merit system), but following nepotism mechanism (spoil system). The winner of <em>pilkada</em> is socially pressured to accommodate all bureaucrats who has become their winning team. Finally, we discuss our finding and propose future agenda research to understanding this phenomenon. </p>
Highlights
Indonesia has many general elections such as legislative election, presidential election, pilkada or head district of general election, and pilkades or head village of general election
This study confirms that patronage practice does occur between political elite to their voters and their winning team (Aspinall & Mada, 2016; Simanjuntak, 2013), and relation between politicians and bureaucrat
Bureaucrat as a professional worker is still perceived by local politicians as an instrument to approaching the voters; (b) in the demand-side, bureaucrat highly motivated to participate in pilkada as a part of candidate winning team due to protect their vested interest
Summary
Indonesia has many general elections such as legislative election (to vote senator and member of house of people in representative three level government), presidential election (to vote president and vice president), pilkada or head district of general election (to vote head of district in province and district government), and pilkades or head village of general election (to vote head of village government). Pilkada was introduced in 2005 as an integral part of decentralization policy in Indonesia. As an object of scientific study, pilkada has been examined by several researchers who promoting several issues such as little king, money politics, party machinery that overshadowed by candidate personal network, ordinary citizens were not manipulated elite, ethnic and religious rivalry (Erb & Sulistiyanto, 2009). Pilkada is encourages political elite and voters to political pragmatism that opposing to spirit of Reformasi (Ida, 2014). Said Choi (2009), is triggering destabilization of local politics due to the coincidence of formal democratic institutions, patrimonial domination and emotional mass mobilization
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