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PERSPEKTIF
Available online http://ojs.uma.ac.id/index.php/perspeksi
Comparison of Eddy Rumpoko's Leadership for Business Actors and Activists (Study in City Communities in 2023)
Bayu Agung Prasetya
Master of Administrative Sciences, Islamic University of Malang, Indonesia Submitted: 28, July 2023; Reviewed: 02, October 2023; Accepted: 16, January 2024
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to determine the comparison of Eddy Rumpoko's leadership towards the people of Batu City. This research uses empirical research methods with a qualitative descriptive approach. Primary data was collected through field data sources, while secondary data was obtained from books and statutory regulations.
This research will use data collection techniques through observation and in-depth interviews. The research results show that business people consider that Eddy Rumpoko contributed to increasing business income during and after his reign. This is proven by the increase in residents' finances up to 3x and the massive growth in hotel rooms from around 6000 rooms to 8000 hotel rooms in Batu City. Business people gain financial prosperity with Eddy Rumpoko's leadership. However, Walhi activists consider that Eddy Rumpoko is accused of a corruption case which makes him a bad Regional Head of Batu City with around 46.8 billion in his leadership. Apart from the issue of corruption, there are environmental conflicts suffered by the people of Batu City, namely the conflict between The Rajya Hotel and Jatim Park 3 Batu City.
Keywords: Activist; Eddy Rumpoko; Leadership; Business people
How to Cite: Prasetya, B.A. (2024), Comparison of Eddy Rumpoko's Leadership for Business Actors and Activists (Study in City Communities in 2023). PERSPEKTIF, 13 (1): 10-17
*Corresponding author:
E-mail:[email protected]
ISSN2549-1660 (Print) ISSN 2550-1305 (Online)
INTRODUCTION
Collaboration between local government and the community is a very important and closely related relationship. The two are bound together in various aspects, including in the political, economic, social, and cultural realms.
The regional government is the party responsible for the management of the region, including public services and infrastructure development. On the other hand, the community is the stakeholder in the management of the area. Therefore, the relationship between the regional government and the community must be built well so that regional development goals can be achieved well. Shah et al. (2015) emphasize that the communication process has a significant impact on the formation of public opinion.
Through the communication process, people gain knowledge and information about various problems that occur in their environment.
The biggest challenge in the relationship between local government and society in Indonesia is the problem of corruption.
Corruption results in public distrust of the government and hinders regional development.
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) stated that the poor quality of public services, especially in the education, transportation, health, investment licensing sectors, and so on, is caused by corruption in the regions. Apart from that, there is still a gap between government policies and community needs. Many government programs are not on target and do not meet the needs of society as a whole (Setiyono, 2017).
Efforts that can be made to improve relations between local government and the community are by implementing good communication. Local governments must actively communicate with the community so they can find out their needs and hopes for development. On the other hand, the government must provide space for community participation in the regional development process. Community participation will increase government transparency and accountability in regional management.
Apart from that, efforts are also needed to fight corruption and improve governance.
Regional governments must carry out their duties and authority well and be open to scrutiny from the public and the mass media.
Improving the quality of human resources (HR)
in regional government is also very important to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in regional management. This depends on the leadership of the local government.
Leadership is the ability to influence others positively and effectively, to achieve joint results. The role of regional heads as leaders at the government level has great significance in managing certain regions. They are expected to have good leadership skills to lead effectively and provide quality performance in meeting community needs.
Regional heads have a very important role in managing a region. Regional heads are expected to be able to lead well, have a clear vision and mission, and be able to motivate and inspire their subordinates to achieve common goals. A good regional head must be able to lead effectively and efficiently and be able to make the right decisions in complex and diverse situations.
Regional heads are expected to be able to coordinate with various related parties in managing an area, such as government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and local communities. In coordinating, regional heads must be able to establish good and mutually beneficial relationships with various related parties.
One of the important tasks of regional heads is to adopt appropriate policies in managing a region. The policies taken must be by the conditions and needs of the local community. Regional heads must be able to make the right decisions and consider various aspects such as economic, social, and environmental when making decisions.
Regional heads must also be able to implement these policies effectively and efficiently to meet community needs.
In carrying out their duties, regional heads must be able to communicate well with various related parties. Regional heads must be able to establish good relationships with local communities, government agencies, and non- governmental organizations. Regional heads must also be able to communicate their vision and mission clearly to their subordinates and the local community.
A good regional head must also be able to lead by a good example. Regional heads must be able to practice good values and teach these to their subordinates. Regional heads must also be able to demonstrate high integrity and not be
involved in acts of corruption or abuse of power.
In managing a region, regional heads must be able to make the right decisions in facing various challenges and changes. Regional heads must be able to anticipate changes that occur and prepare themselves accordingly.
Don't let your position be an instrument to gain wealth (Ludigdo, 2019).
Eddy Rumpoko, former Mayor of Batu Malang, has a big responsibility in managing and developing Batu City, an area in East Java that is rich in natural beauty and tourism potential. The Shining Batu logo, with its philosophical meaning, reflects the image of Batu City as a comfortable, safe, peaceful, and prosperous area (Hardianto et al., 2021). By using this brand, it is hoped that Batu City will shine even more, especially in the tourism, education, and agricultural sectors (Intyaswono et al., 2016).
The changes that have occurred in Batu City have created attractive long-term investment opportunities, such as the creation of residential houses to live in or rent, restaurants, and even the development of hotels ranging from budget hotels to star hotels (Putra, 2015).
One of the significant achievements of the Mayor of Batu is successfully increasing the tourism sector in Batu City. By developing various tourist destinations such as Jawa Timur Park 1, Jawa Timur Park 2, Eco Green Park, and Batu Night Spectacular, Batu City has succeeded in attracting many tourists from various regions in Indonesia and abroad. This has a good impact on people's income and shows that Batu City is the richest city in East Java.
City governments in Indonesia, including Batu City in East Java, have used Batu Tourism City branding strategies to increase attractiveness and optimize the city's potential.
(Hilman, 2017). Apart from that, active community involvement in the development of the tourism sector is important, as a form of active participation in efforts to advance the region, thereby creating synergy between the government, community, and the private sector.
The development of organic farming in Batu City has not been realized. However, in the last three years, various activities related to efforts to develop organic farming have begun to be promoted in Batu City (Fadlina et al.,
2013). Batu City is famous for its fairly developed agricultural and livestock sectors.
Therefore, it is not surprising that there is an increase in interest and use of organic farming methods in the city, as is the case in many other agricultural areas.
The former Mayor of Batu also pays attention to education by developing a school construction program. One of the superior programs is "Smart Batu" which aims to improve the quality of education in the city of Batu. This program includes various activities such as providing scholarships, improving teacher quality, and adequate learning support facilities.
However, in 2017, Eddy Rumpoko was involved in a corruption case as the main actor.
He was arrested in a sting operation carried out by the Corruption Eradication Commission regarding the Meubalair case worth 5.5 billion Rupiah (Makitan, 2017). In this context, corrupt practices tend to involve local elites who hold positions of power (Haboddin, 2011). Aspiring leaders are also said to use their positions for corruption to maintain power(Ludigdo, 2018).
However, strangely enough, the people of Batu still love Eddy Rumpoko with the 1000 candles action. In an era of rapid development of information and communication technology, the role of the media in shaping public opinion is becoming increasingly important and cannot be ignored (Sudjadi, 2014).
However, of course, there are still many challenges that the former mayor of Batu must face in carrying out his duties. Apart from the corruption that ensnares him, the problem that is quite urgent is environmental problems. Batu City is an area that is prone to disasters, both natural and non-natural. Various types of disasters have occurred in this city, including flash floods, landslides, forest and land fires, tornadoes, droughts, technological failures, transportation accidents, disease outbreaks/pests, and social conflicts.
Research conducted entitled Political Ecology Protection Spring Water in Batu by Accelerating Sectoral Economic Growth by the Batu City Government in the Eddy Rumpoko Era through the Development of the Tourism Industry seems political. This has an impact on the sustainability of water resources in Batu City. The massive growth of tourism and supporting infrastructure is destroying and reducing water catchment areas.
The degradation of water sources in Batu City is not only interpreted as a result of climate change and occurs naturally but is caused by government policies that are less supportive of environmental conservation efforts. This condition triggers conflict between the community which is influenced by the government as a regulator and the private sector as investors who are considered to threaten ecological sustainability in Batu City (Deby et al., 2019).
This research aims to compare Eddy Rumpoko's leadership, seen from two contrasting points of view: the view of business people in Batu City Square who see a positive impact on their business, and the perspective of Batu City Walhi environmental activists who carry out in-depth supervision of Eddy Rumpoko's policies. The researcher seeks to reveal the differences in perspectives between these two groups of people objectively, exploring how this leadership through the different lenses of environmental activists and local entrepreneurs, creates an interesting diversity of views.
RESEARCH METHODS
This research uses empirical research methods with a qualitative descriptive approach. To obtain data from this research, it was taken from primary data and secondary data sources(Silalahi, 2010). Primary data was collected through field data sources, while secondary data was obtained from books and statutory regulations.
In this research, data collection techniques are through observation and in- depth interviews. The subjects interviewed were Khamim Tohari, Chairman of Commission C of the Batu City DPRD, Thithut, a meatball seller in Batu City Square, Budi, an egg roll seller in Batu City Square, and Indra, a Walhi activist in Batu City. Data analysis uses interactive analysis models from Mathew, namely data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion.
According to Moleong determine the validity of the data, inspection techniques are needed. trust, transferability, dependency, and certainty.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Comparison of Eddy Rumpoko's Leadership for Business Actors
The success of a mayor in developing a city's economy can be seen from various aspects, such as economic growth, development of the industrial sector, increasing employment opportunities, development of tourist areas, and increasing community welfare.
Business people consider that Eddy Rumpoko has succeeded in turning the quiet Batu City into a bustling crowd of visitors. In 2022, Batu City will receive 7.4 million foreign tourists (Rifai, 2023). This has a good impact on business income. In April 2023, researchers interviewed Mr. Thithut, a meatball seller since 1998 who thought that now meatball sales were certain to be high. From initially only 40- 50 portions before Eddy Rumpoko took office, it has now reached 150-200 portions a day. He thinks that this is due to the presence of tourists who often visit Batu City.
In the same month, researchers interviewed Mr Budi, an egg roll seller. Budi considers that Eddy Rumpoko's 10 years of leadership had a significant impact on his business. What initially only made a profit of 300 thousand has now reached 600-700 thousand. Budi considers that the high number of tourists coming to Batu City has a significant influence on his income.
Tourism has great potential to increase income for business people in this sector.
Various aspects of the tourism industry contribute significantly to increasing their income. The hotel business is one of the main sectors of the tourism industry. With tourist visits, the demand for accommodation is increasing. Hotels, resorts, and other accommodations can raise room rates and offer special packages to attract more guests, which in turn increases their revenues.
Then, restaurants and food stalls also benefit from tourism. Travelers are looking for unique local gastronomic experiences. Business people in the culinary sector can offer regional specialties and drinks, hold culinary events, or organize food tours to attract more customers and increase their income.
Culinary tourism in Batu City has become one of the main destinations for tourists, and this is due to several factors that attract their attention. The following is the growth in the
number of restaurants and restaurants in Batu City:
Table 1 Number of Restaurants and Restaurants by District in Batu City, 2019-2022 Subdistrict 2019 2021 2022
Rock 34 37 46
Junrejo 10 11 13
Bumiaji 6 3 9
Batu City 50 51 68
Source :(BPS Batu City, 2022)
This data shows the growth in the number of restaurants in several sub-districts in Batu City during the period 2019 to 2022. In general, it can be seen that the number of restaurants is increasing from year to year in all sub-districts and the entire Batu City area. This increase may reflect the growth of the culinary industry or restaurant business sector in the region. In May 2023, researchers interviewed Khamim Tohari, Batu City DPRD, saying that, First of all, Batu City has a very interesting culinary diversity. Tourists can find a variety of authentic and delicious local foods. Starting from traditional East Javanese food to modern culinary delights, such as Japanese or Korean culinary delights, everything can be enjoyed in this city. It provides a different culinary experience and satisfies various tastes of tourists.
Second, Batu City has a famous culinary image. Many eating places and food stalls have earned a good reputation because of the unique taste and quality of the food. Several places have even become culinary icons of Batu City that must be visited by tourists.
Third, the atmosphere of places to eat in Batu City is very interesting. Many restaurants and cafes have unique and charming designs, providing a pleasant dining experience. Apart from that, several eating places also offer beautiful natural views, such as views of the mountains or fruit gardens, so that tourists can enjoy food while enjoying the stunning natural panorama.
Apart from that, the existence of culinary markets and regular food festivals also adds to the attractiveness of Batu City as a culinary destination. Tourists can feel the atmosphere of a busy traditional market while trying various delicious dishes. Food festivals are also long- awaited moments because they always feature
typical and unique foods that should not be missed.
Not to forget, the friendliness and hospitality of the residents also play an important role in attracting tourists to Batu City. The warm and friendly welcome from the local community makes tourists feel appreciated and welcomed.
With a combination of culinary diversity, a famous culinary image, an attractive dining atmosphere, culinary market events, and food festivals, as well as the friendliness of its people, Batu City has succeeded in creating a strong attraction for tourists looking for an unforgettable culinary experience. This makes Batu City a culinary tourism destination that is increasingly in demand and popular with local and foreign tourists.
This is directly proportional to the research conducted(Romadhan et al., 2020)who said that Based on the 2018 Batu City tourism business registration documents, as many as 51 companies from various sectors were listed in the Tourism Business Registration Certificate (TDUP) as tourism supporting investors with a total capital of IDR 1,099,789,414,238.
The trend of increasing artificial travel, increasing the number of tourists, and improving tourism infrastructure in Batu, along with the many tourism developments and facilities provided by the government is at least beneficial in increasing the government's budget side and investors in the capital accumulation sector. In 2016 there were 550 hotels and in 2017 it increased to 967 hotels.
Increasing the number of hotels also affects the number of rooms. In 2016 there were 6,066 rooms and in 2017 there were 8,535 rooms. In 2018 the number of hotels increased by 57.71%
and hotel rooms by 71.07%. The high number of hotel developments makes Batu City the second-tier area which has many star hotels after Surabaya and Malang. The high investment in building hotels and resorts shows the increasing industrialization of tourism in Batu City.
This is in contrast to the response of Batu City Walhi activists. Around May, researchers interviewed Indra, a Walhi activist from Batu City who thought that Eddy Rumpoko was a bad leader for Batu City. Indra argued that Eddy Rumpoko was corrupt during his reign. There are 2 cases in which Eddy Rumpoko has been
convicted. In the bribery case involving Eddy Rumpoko as Mayor of Batu, two cases are in the spotlight, namely the Meubalair bribery case and the business license bribery case. In the Surabaya District Court Decision Number 27/Pid.Sus/Tpk/2018/Pn. Sby, the Surabaya District Court decision regarding the first case, Eddy Rumpoko wanted to own a Toyota Alphard luxury car with a price of around IDR 1.6 billion. To fulfill his request, Eddy Rumpoko summoned Filipus Djab to his office and offered several projects worth billions of rupiah which would be funded from the Batu City APBD in return for his request, and the defendant finally fulfilled this offer.
In 2022, Surabaya District Court Decision No. 37/2022/PID.SUS - TPK/PT.SBY Eddy Rumpoko is again facing charges for allegedly causing state losses amounting to IDR 46 billion through receiving gratuities carried out in stages. The gratification came from at least 45 parties consisting of entrepreneurs, regional officials, and several other people. All of these gifts were received in the period 2011 to 2017.
The motive for giving these gratuities was to facilitate permits for the construction of villas, hotels, cottages, and housing in Batu City. The disclosure of corruption cases related to licensing provides a warning that licensing problems in Indonesia are a serious problem that must be addressed immediately(Zainul &
Irsan, 2019)
The defendant is also alleged to have given directions to several parties to organize the auction process for goods and services in work packages in Batu City. The aim was to give tenders to contractors close to him. Batu City Activist Indra considers these two things to be proof that Eddy Rumpoko was a bad leader in the history of Batu City.
Tsamara(in Lahay, 2020)believes that OTT shows that political parties have failed to prevent their members from being involved in acts of corruption, while Masinton thinks that acts of corruption are individual actions. Of course, corruption is a serious problem that worries society. Corrupt practices harm public trust in government and institutions, hinder development, and reduce access and quality of public services. Corruption creates social and economic injustice, strengthens inequality, and affects political and economic stability.
The impact extends to various sectors, such as education, health, and investment. To
overcome this problem, a strong commitment is needed from the government, institutions, and society to eradicate corruption, strengthen transparency and accountability, and implement strict punishments for perpetrators of corruption. Only by collective action can we build a society of justice, transparency, and integrity.
In a researcher interview, Walhi activist Indra said that there was a conflict between the people of Bulukerto Village, Bumiaji District, Batu City, who opposed the construction of a hotel and resort called "The Rayja". The community feels that this development threatens the sustainability of springs in the area.
Furthermore, there was a conflict between the people of Junrejo Village and the management of Dino Park regarding the transfer of the function of the irrigation river to a tourist attraction. The developer fenced off by building 6 meters above the irrigation river body so that the community had difficulty accessing irrigation water. The conflict over water resources management between the people of Bulukerto and Junrejo villages and investors can be seen as unfair access caused by government policy. Water springs are the foundation of life for all creatures. If water decreases, survival will become increasingly difficult. Money cannot be the determinant of life, but caring for nature is the key to people's survival. The following table below relates to the degradation of springs in Batu City
Table 2 Number of Springs in Batu City No. Subdistrict 2007 2017 1 Bumiaji 57 points 27 points 2 Junrejo 22 Points 15 Points
3 Rock 32 points 15 Points
Batu City 111 Points 57 Points Source :(Walhi East Java, 2019)
In 2007, Batu City had a total of 111 water springs. In division per sub-district, Bumiaji District has the largest number of springs, namely 57 points. Batu District has 32 water spring points, while Junrejo District has 22 water spring points. However, in 2017, there was a significant decrease in the number of springs throughout the Batu City area. The total springs in Batu City fell to 57 points. Bumiaji District experienced the most drastic decline from 57 points to 27 points. Batu District and Junrejo District both experienced a decline from 32
points and 22 points respectively in 2007 to 15 points in 2017.
This data indicates a significant decline in the number of springs in Batu City over the last decade, which requires serious attention in efforts to preserve and manage water resources in the region. If there is no serious attention, this has the potential to pose a threat to future generations of water conflicts.
CONCLUSION
Eddy Rumpoko's leadership in Batu City has had a significant impact, especially in the growth of the tourism and culinary sectors.
Batu City has succeeded in attracting many tourists and creating a strong attraction for business people in this sector. Data shows an increase in the number of restaurants in various sub-districts, which illustrates the strong growth of the culinary industry in the region. Apart from that, success in managing the tourism sector can be seen from the sharp increase in the number of visitors, which in turn has a positive impact on the income of business actors, such as meatball sellers and egg roll sellers.
However, it should be noted that the increase in the tourism sector also raises various challenges and conflicts, such as the management of natural resources which triggers unfair access. Indra from Walhi Batu City, considers Eddy Rumpoko to be a bad leader with various accusations of corruption that disrupts government governance. In the two bribery cases that emerged, Eddy Rumpoko was suspected of receiving significant gratuities from parties interested in business licensing in Batu City. Conflicts related to the environment and the use of natural resources are also in the spotlight. In this perspective, Eddy Rumpoko's leadership has controversial leadership aspects that must be considered seriously in the context of Batu City's development.
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