THE GATEKEEPERS OF RURAL DEMOCRACY: RELIGIOUS AND TRADITIONAL LEADERS AS POLITICAL OPINION MAKERS

Prasetya Yoga  Santoso

doi:10.54783/jin.v5i3.1907

Prasetya Yoga Santoso Universitas Prof. Dr. Moestopo (Beragama), Jakarta, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54783/jin.v5i3.1907

Keywords: Opinion Leader, Rural Political Communication, Dualistic Authority Structure, Two-Step Flow Theory, Kasepuhan.

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of religious and traditional leaders as opinion leaders in the dynamics of rural political communication, using a case study in Sirnaresmi Village, Cisolok District, Sukabumi Regency, West Java Province (Kasepuhan Ciptagelar). This qualitative case study employed a purposive sampling technique to identify key informants, including traditional elders, religious scholars, village officials, and the local community. Data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation studies, which were then analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model. The results indicate that the flow of political communication in this village consistently applies the Two-Step Flow Theory mechanism, in which external political information is first filtered by opinion leaders before being disseminated to the community. The dualistic authority structure in this village does not give rise to conflict, but rather produces a convergence of complementary communication; religious leaders mobilize the masses based on moral-theological persuasion through the religious study group (Majelis Taklim), while traditional leaders use communal-cultural persuasion through traditional institutions to maintain village stability. This integrative-collective opinion leadership model has proven effective in reducing electoral polarization, countering digital disinformation, and significantly increasing voter participation. This study concludes that the effectiveness of political communication in rural areas depends heavily on the level of sociological trust in local actors, whose position remains unchallenged by the massive development of modern media.

References

Adeni, S., Yusnita, T., & Harahap, M. A. (2023). Rural Community Leaders and Development Messages in the Digital Age. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 6(09).

Alfayn, M. A. N., Alfirdaus, L. K., & Setiyono, B. (2022). Digitalisasi Pemerintahan Desa: Hambatan Dan Dampaknya Bagi Tata Kelola Desa. Jurnal Inovasi Ilmu Sosial dan Politik (JISoP), 4(2), 149-157.

Bokau, I. N. (2002). Peranan Komunikasi Pemerintahan dalam Meningkatkan Pembangunan di Desa Boyong Atas (Suatu Studi Peranan Kepala Desa). Acta Diurna, 2(3), 92007.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2016). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. SAGE Publications.

Hamid, I., Ramdani, I., & Zuhairi, A. (2023). Peran Opinion Leader Dalam Pilihan Politik Masyarakat Pesisir (Studi Di Kelurahan Ampenan Kecamatan Ampenan Kota Mataram). TAMADDUN: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial, Seni, dan Humaniora, 1(1), 1-13.

Heryanto, G. G. (2018). Media Komunikasi Politik. IRCiSoD.

Ibrahim, J. T. (2019). Sosiologi Pedesaan. UMMPress.

Kawengian, K., Mingkid, E., & Pantow, J. T. (2017). Peranan Komunikasi Pemerintah Dalam Pelaksanaan Program Bersih Kampung (Studi Pada Pemerintah Desa Lopana Satu Kecamatan Amurang Timur). Acta Diurna, 6(2), 95060.

Lestariono, W., & Hendro, H. (2020). Peran Kepala Desa Sebagai Opinion Leader di Desa Bukit Harapan. Jurnal Sociopolitico, 2(1), 1-8.

Mayasari, R., Febriantoko, J., Putra, R. R., Hadiwijaya, H., & Kurniawan, D. (2022). Digitalisasi Desa: Pilar Pembangunan Ekonomi Desa. Penerbit Nem.

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative Data Analysis. SAGE.

Oktarina, Y., & Abdullah, Y. (2017). Komunikasi dalam Perspektif Teori dan Praktik. Deepublish.

Rauf, R., & Maulidiah, S. (2015). Pemerintahan Desa. Pekanbaru: ZANAFA PUBLISHING.

Rohmawati, T. (2013). Dinamika Politik Pedesaan dalam Pemilihan Kepala Desa Masin Kabupaten Batang Provinsi Jawa Tengah. JIPSI-Jurnal Ilmu Politik dan Komunikasi, 1.

Silalah, U. (2023). Kepemimpinan Pemerintah Desa dan Partisipasi Masyarakat dalam Pembangunan Desa. Uwais Inspirasi Indonesia.

Situmorang, D. M. (2016). Revitalisasi Sistem Pemerintahan Desa dalam Perspektif Undang-Undang No. 6 Tahun 2014 tentang Desa di Provinsi Sumatera Barat. Jurnal HAM, 7(1), 21-34.

Sugiana, D., Mirawati, I., & Trulline, P. (2019). Peran Ulama Sebagai Opinion Leader di Pedesaan dalam Menghadapi Informasi Hoaks. Avant Garde, 7(1), 1-18.

Ulla, D. R. (2019). Pelaksanaan Fungsi Komunikasi Opinion Leader di Desa Giri Sako Kecamatan Logas Tanah Darat Kabupaten Kuantan Singingi (Doctoral Dissertation, Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau).

Zainal, A. G. (2018). Strategi Komunikasi Politik Pemerintahan Daerah dalam Meningkatkan Partisipasi Masyarakat Pedesaan. Metacommunication; Journal of Communication Studies, 3(1).