Power Politics Contestation in Symbolic Relations of Tidore Local Leader Election

Abstract

This article aims at describing the philosophy of “toma loa se banari” as a strategy to garner political support for Tidore Local Leader Election and to describe the mobilization of clan relations in the power struggle in Tidore. This research uses a qualitative method with an ethnographic research type. Pierre Bourdieu’s theory is used to analyze political phenomena in the power struggle in Tidore. The research findings show that “toma loa se banari “philosophy is one of the important elements in the victory of elite in local leader election. Moreover, clan mobilization in communal society in Tidore is very influential for the victory of the leader since the majority of voters are cultural people who are submissive and obedient to Tidore’s local wisdom values. The hope for democracy in the future is that the values of local wisdom will continue to exist in creating the quality of democracy at the local level.