VILLAGE AUTONOMY AND PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY IN INDONESIA: THE PROBLEM OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN POST-VILLAGE AUTONOMY IN THE SOUTHEAST SULAWESI PROVINCE

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe the granting of village autonomy and the implementation of participatory democracy in Indonesia by observing the practice of village planning and budgeting in the Southeast Sulawesi province. This research uses the descriptive qualitative method alongside the data collection techniques of document study, observation, interviews, and focus group discussions. The results of the study show that, firstly, decision-making in village development planning is dominated by the village elite and the government. Second, the village budgeting process is closed, elitist, low-accountability, inefficient, and off-target. There are four things that cause village autonomy to fail to realise participatory democracy: weaknesses in regulatory aspects; overlapping institutions; budget dependence; and the low competence of village communities and civil society in supervising the implementation of autonomy. The implication of this research is that autonomy that is practiced in a smaller scope does not fully realise democratisation and citizen participation in its implementation.