The Participation of Residents of Tambak Rejo Village, Sidoarjo, in the 2014 Presidential Elections Seen from Education Levels and Occupation
ICETA 8 || 8th International Conference on Educational Technology of Adi Buana Surabaya 29 Oktober 2016 || ISBN: 978-979-8559-98-3 Penerbit : University of PGRI Adi Buana Surabaya Penulis 1: A.Qomaru Zaman Penulis 2: Irnawati
Abstract
Citizens are obliged to foster and protect ethics in politics. In order to move the nation forward, roles and activeness of all parties are needed, between citizens and the government. As citizens of Indonesia, participation in deciding the direction of the nation is seen from the use of the right to vote for a president, done every five years.
This researched aimed to understand the participation of citizens of Tambak Rejo Village, Sidoarjo, in the 2014 Presidential Elections, seen from education levels and occupation. The research type is a descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The targets of the research were public figures (formal and non-formal), youths, original residents, and newcomers of Tambak Rejo Village, Sidoarjo. The data collection techniques used were in-depth interviews, direct observation, and recording documents. Data that was collected were analyzed using the interactive analysis technique. The result was, first, the participation of the citizens of Tambak Rejo Village, Sidoarjo, in the 2014 Presidential Elections could be seen from educational levels (most of those that participated in the elections had an educational background up to high school, diploma education, and undergraduate education). Second, the participation of the citizens of Tambak Rejo Village, Sidoarjo, in the 2014 Presidential Elections could be seen from occupation (most of those that participated in the elections had a background of entrepreneurial occupations). Evaluation of participation showed that the involvement of citizens to make democracy successful as during the 2014 Presidential Elections had good progress, as there were no riots when the citizens exercised their voting rights at the local polling places.
Keywords: participation, 2014 Presidential Elections, education, occupation
INTRODUCTION
The right to freedom of all individuals is protected by the state, but the procurement and use of those rights are adjusted accordingly with the surrounding people. As political individuals, citizens have duties such as loyalty to the state, adherence to political norms that have been collectively agreed upon, and obedience toward political methods and etiquette in expressing aspirations by using the right to vote in a responsible manner (Abdurrahmat Fathoni, 2006).
The responsible right to vote represents a process of formation of the character of the nation or Indonesian people which places democracy as a central point in citizenship and statehood. Democratic education has three primary functions: to develop civic intelligence, to guide civic responsibility, and to encourage civic participation.
All citizens have the obligation to foster and protect ethics in politics. In this case, to develop the nation further, the role and activity of all parties are required, between the citizens and the government. A democratic society can be realized if the people are educated, are intelligent, possess a sufficient (decent) livelihood, and possess the will to participate actively in society, citizenship, and statehood. As a citizen of Indonesia, the participation in guiding the direction of the nation can be seen in the use of the right to vote for the leader of the nation – the President – every five years.
According to Milbrath, the political participation of the people in exercising democracy is related to four factors: how far people accept political stimuli, the personal characteristics of a person, the social characteristics of a person, and the political state or political environment where the person is situated (Lester Milbrath, 1965).
The process of leadership change or presidential succession in 2014 represented the peak of the exercise of democracy once every five years in electing the national leader of Indonesia. The role and participation of the people very much determines where the nation is headed. All citizens were enthusiastic about the 2014 presidential elections, and the people of Tambak Rejo village, Sidoarjo, who represented a diverse society in education and occupation, was no exception.
METHOD
The research method was a field study conducted by examining the available data. The research could be categorized as a descriptive qualitative research. This means that the research produced descriptive data on verbal as well as written expressions, as well as the observed behaviors from the people being researched (Taylor and Bogdan, 1984). This descriptive qualitative research aimed to describe accurately the natures of a certain individual, state, condition, or group, or to determine the spread of a condition, or to determine whether or not there is a relationship between a condition and another condition in society (Amiruddin and Zainal Asikin, 2010).
DISCUSSION
Tambak Rejo Village, Sidoarjo Regency, has an area of 383 hectares, and consists of low-lying or coastal lands incorporated as one of 14 Villages in the region of Waru Sub-District that lies north-east of the City of Sidoarjo, sharing a border with the southern part of the City of Surabaya.
The number of residents based on their occupation and the number of residents based on education levels are presented in the following tables:
Number of Residents by Occupation
| Occupation | Female | Male |
| Unknown | 3036 | 1947 |
| Housewives | 1021 | 2 |
| School/College Students | 1764 | 1940 |
| Retirees | 51 | 209 |
| Civil Servants | 114 | 116 |
| Military Officers | 3 | 70 |
| Police Officers | 2 | 25 |
| Traders | 27 | 60 |
| Agricultural Farmers | 34 | 43 |
| Animal Farmers | 0 | 0 |
| Fishers | 0 | 0 |
| Industrial Workers | 0 | 0 |
| Construction Workers | 0 | 1 |
| Transportation Workers | 0 | 0 |
| Private Sector | 2726 | 4272 |
| State-Owned Companies | 10 | 37 |
| Regionally-Owned Companies | 1 | 0 |
| Honorary Workers | 1 | 0 |
| Daily Workers | 2 | 8 |
| Agricultural Farmhands | 0 | 2 |
| Seafarers | 1 | 1 |
| Animal Farmhands | 0 | 0 |
| PRT | 7 | 0 |
| Haircutters | 0 | 0 |
| Electricians | 0 | 4 |
| Stonemasons | 0 | 19 |
| Woodworkers | 0 | 1 |
| Shoe Repair | 0 | 0 |
| Welders | 0 | 0 |
| Tailors | 3 | 1 |
| Dental Specialists | 0 | 0 |
| Make-Up Artists | 1 | 1 |
| Fashion Specialists | 0 | 0 |
| Hairstyle Specialists | 0 | 0 |
| Mechanic | 0 | 1 |
| Artists | 0 | 0 |
| Healers | 0 | 0 |
| Midwives | 0 | 0 |
| Designers | 0 | 0 |
| Translators | 0 | 0 |
| Mosque Imams | 0 | 1 |
| Priests | 0 | 3 |
| Pastors | 0 | 0 |
| Reporters | 1 | 1 |
| Islamic Teachers | 3 | 1 |
| Chefs | 0 | 0 |
| Event Promoters | 0 | 0 |
| National Parliament Members | 0 | 0 |
| Senate Members | 0 | 0 |
| Financial Supervisory Board Members | 0 | 0 |
| President | 0 | 0 |
| Vice President | 0 | 0 |
| Constitutional Court Members | 0 | 0 |
| Cabinet Members | 0 | 0 |
| Ambassadors | 0 | 0 |
| Governors | 0 | 0 |
| Vice Governors | 0 | 0 |
| Regents | 0 | 0 |
| Vice Regents | 0 | 0 |
| Mayors | 0 | 0 |
| Vice Mayors | 0 | 0 |
| Regional Parliament Members | 0 | 0 |
| Regency Parliament Members | 0 | 0 |
| Lecturers | 19 | 30 |
| Teachers | 110 | 37 |
| Pilots | 0 | 0 |
| Attorneys | 2 | 0 |
| Notaries | 1 | 0 |
| Architects | 0 | 0 |
| Accountants | 0 | 0 |
| Consultants | 1 | 1 |
| Doctors | 6 | 6 |
| Obstetricians | 3 | 0 |
| Nurses | 7 | 0 |
| Apothecaries | 3 | 0 |
| Psychiatrists | 1 | 0 |
| TV Broadcasters | 0 | 0 |
| Radio Broadcasters | 0 | 0 |
| Sailors | 0 | 3 |
| Researchers | 0 | 0 |
| Drivers | 0 | 10 |
| Brokers | 0 | 0 |
| Paranormal | 0 | 0 |
| Merchants | 25 | 22 |
| Village Officials | 0 | 8 |
| Village Chiefs | 0 | 1 |
| Nuns | 0 | 0 |
| Entrepreneurs | 252 | 423 |
| Others | 1 | 4 |
Table 1. Number of Residents Based on Occupation
Based on the above details and the results of several questionnaires on residents, seen from the point of view of occupation, entrepreneurs were the most dominant in Tambak Rejo Village participating in the 2014 presidential elections.
Number of Residents Based on Education Levels
| Education Level | Female | Male |
| Elementary School | 2109 | 1889 |
| Middle School | 1412 | 1281 |
| High School | 2857 | 3226 |
| 1- and 2-Year Diploma Programs | 46 | 21 |
| 3-Year Diploma Program | 212 | 162 |
| Undergraduate | 1085 | 1187 |
| Graduate | 54 | 76 |
| Doctorate | 0 | 7 |
| Lain-lain | 1502 | 1489 |
Table 2. Number of Residents Based on Education Levels
Based on the above details and the results of several questionnaires on residents, seen from the point of view of education levels, most voters of Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla were of middle school, high school, diploma, and undergraduate education (most were of high school education). Meanwhile, voters of Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa were spread among elementary school, middle school, high school, diploma, undergraduate, and graduate education (most were of diploma and undergraduate education).
The participation of residents in choosing or determining candidates for the head of state of Indonesia can be seen in the data for valid and invalid votes below:
Data of Valid and Invalid Votes
Participation of the people was rated at 99.99 %.
This participation rate is considered very high.
| Votes | Number of Votes | Total |
| Number of Valid Votes | 7,713 | 7,713 |
| Number of Invalid Votes | 76 | 76 |
| Total Number of Votes | 7,789 | |
Table 3. Data of Valid and Invalid Votes
The results of evaluation for the participation of Tambak Rejo Village residents, Sidoarjo, in the 2014 presidential elections and empirical research showed that the involvement of residents in exercising their democratic rights in the 2014 presidential elections represented good progress, as there were no riots while the people voted at the local polling stations. Below are the vote counts for the 2014 presidential elections at Tambak Rejo Village, Sidoarjo.
Vote Counts in the 2014 Presidential Election
 Participation of the people that voted for the winner was 61.89%.
This participation rate is considered very high.
| PRESIDENT-VICE PRESIDENT | Total Votes | Percentage |
| H. PRABOWO SUBIANTO and
Ir. H. M. HATTA RAJASA |
2,939 | 38.1 |
| Ir. H. JOKO WIDODO and
Drs. H. M. JUSUF KALLA |
4,774 | 61.89 |
| TOTAL | 7,713 | 100 |
Table 4. Vote Counts in the 2014 Presidential Election
The Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla ticket won the presidential election at Tambak Rejo Village, Sidoarjo, with a total of 4,774. The Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa ticket obtained a total of 2,939 votes. The total number of valid votes for the presidential candidates was 7,713. Those who did not use their voting rights amounted to 76, which amounted to a percentage of 0.01%.
Voters of Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla supported the parties of the Great Indonesia Coalition (PDIP and PKB for Tambak Rejo Village). Voters of Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa supported the parties of the Red and White Coalition, in particular Gerindra and PKS. Those who did not vote supported other parties for various reasons.
Interestingly, there was consistency between those that supported coalition parties with their political choices. This meant that those who voted for Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla were of the Great Indonesia Coalition parties, while those who voted for Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa were of the Red and White Coalition parties.
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
Conclusion
The presidential election is the pinnacle of leadership succession for organizing the country. In the 2014 presidential elections, it can be seen that citizens of Indonesia were able to conduct elections in a peaceful and intelligent manner. With this in mind, it was important to see how well the citizens participated, one way of which was to recognize the makeup of the participation in the 2014 presidential elections of the residents of Tambak Rejo Village, Sidoarjo, based on education levels and occupation.
Suggestions
Based on the results of the research some suggestions can be made: (1) the government of Indonesia, in relation to the high enthusiasm of the people in exercising their democratic rights as in the 2014 presidential elections, should properly and continuously maintain the trust of the people by socializing political matters well; (2) the citizens should exercise their political rights intelligently by picking the right candidate, as the voice of the people is the voice of God (vox populi vox dei).
REFERENCES
Abdurrahmat Fathoni. 2006. Manajemen Sumber Daya Manusia. Jakarta: PT.Rineka Cipta.
Amiruddin dan Zainal Asikin. 2010. Pengantar Metode Penelitian Hukum. Jakarta: Rajawali Pers.
Rekapitulasi Data Komisi Pemilihan Umum Daerah Sidoarjo
Lester Milbrath. 1965. Political Participation: How and Why Do People Get Involved in Politics?. Chicago.
Steven Taylor dan Robert. 1984. Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods: the Search for Meaning. New York: Wiley & Sons. Inc.
Data Statistik Desa Tambak Rejo.
Author’s Biodata
A Qomaru Zaman is lecturer Pancasila and Citizenship Education, at the University of Surabaya Adi Buana. Menerima gelar Magister Pendidikan di Universitas Negeri Jakarta. The author received a Master of Education at the State University of Jakarta. Currently the author is pursuing a doctorate degree at the State University of Yogyakarta. Courses that are taught are related to the field of knowledge, among them Philosophy, Five Principles Education, and Political Science.
Irnawati is lecturer Pancasila and Citizenship Education, at the University of Surabaya Adi Buana. Received a Master of Law degree at Brawijaya University. Taught courses related to discipline, including Islamic Law and PIH.