The Impact of Political Patronage on Community Economic Development in Kobalima District, Malaka Regency (A Case Study of Sisi and Rainawe Villages)

Abstract

Patronage politics arises in democratic contests in Malaka Regency. This gives the community the impression of misuse of power and public funds by elected officials through awarding projects, positions, or assistance to campaign teams and their supporters. As a governance issue, this practice damages development because village funds and infrastructure allocations are not based on needs of residents, but on the distribution of political gains. This study applies a descriptive qualitative method with a case study approach centered on Sisi Village and Rainawe Village, Kobalima District, Malaka Regency. The main focus of this study is to explore the phenomenon of post-election patronage politics and its impact on equity and allocation of economic development programs for the community. Data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews with informants and document analysis techniques on APBDes data and reports on aid realization. Findings include the opening of space for mass turnover of village apparatus and unilateral diversion of recipients of Direct Cash Assistance (BLT), which led to a decline in the quality of public services and slow local economic growth. The implications of this patronage politics broke the democratic governance by removing transparency, accountability, and professionalism of village officials, leading to reduced public trust.