| Summary: | This study emphasized ethnic politics, namely how ethnic instrumentation
(commodification) in electoral arena, specifically in local election 2010 in Ternate City. In other
word, ethnic or ethnicity has become �merchandise� or being capitalized by local elites in effort
to seize resources of power. It is highly argued that ethnic become important instrumentation in
the arena of local political contestation. This research has using analytic descriptive design,
qualitative approach as well as referred to both primary and secondary data. While, the data got
from field observation, indepth interview to informants who have relevant competence or tightly
related to the research problem, and also documentation. Theoretically, the ethnic just become
instrumentation of local elites or in refer to Marxian term, ethnic just become commodity
(commodificated).
This research has shown that ethnic instrumentation (commodification) by local elites in
political arena, like in local election 2010 in Ternate city, it has shown from commence of
candidacy for mayor and vice mayor of Ternate city who are cutting off ethnicity by political
party and independent candidate. The ethnic cross-cutting or combination is obvious in the
candidate pairs: Ikbal-Vaya (Sanana-Makian), Sidik-Saiful (Ternate-Makian), Burhan-Arifin
(Tidore-Ternate), and Wahda-Hidayat (Makian-Ternate). The combination of candidate based on
ethnicity has not only used by parties but also �combined as well� by power of outside party,
such as sultanate of Ternate and Tidore, as well as two formal rulers, they are Mayor of Ternate
city and Governor of North Maluku. Another findings has shown ethnic instrumentation also
visible from how was the pattern of elite approach (the candidates) toward ethnic groups. This
matter could be seen from several social activities such as barifola (cut open of house), Legu
Gam (people party), and investment in education field for certain ethnics. The candidates have
together seizing or establishing or managing directly ethnic organizations to obtain political
support from elements of ethnic. Instrumentation (commodification) of other ethnics has visible
from how the elites produced ethnic issues or discourses in efforts to make instant mobilization
of ethnic mass.
Based on the above research findings, so it is could be concluded that ethnic or ethnicity
has become instrumentation and commodity by local elites in the arena of electoral politics (local
election). The ethnic has been commodificated in such a manner as described in the above
findings to gain victory in the local political contestation for seizing of political resources. This
research is expected to make contribution of knowledge in the field of political science and
practically gives outstanding lessons about how local elites have treated ethnic groups/ethnicity,
and also not just become commodity that being sold in political arena.
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