SOCIAL IDENTITY OF CITY RESIDENTS
The availability of complete transportation, communication and consumption facilities in
urban areas has an impact on city life which tends to pamper its residents with luxury and
convenience. Urban people sometimes fall asleep in the pleasures of life that can be obtained
quickly, but on the other hand, they continue to run in pursuit of a better life. Khaldun (2011)
assessed that urban communities have a low value of ashobiyah (family ties). However, sometimes
these values can emerge and strengthen for certain reasons and become a driving force for change.
Social activities held in Jakarta have their own attraction so that they can encourage people to come
to this area. This condition, in addition to certain interests, is also indirectly to see and enjoy capital
city facilities that are not found in other cities. Before photographing Jakarta in the present, we will
look at the social structure of this capital area in the past to see the genealogy of Jakarta people
Jakarta is an abbreviation for Jayakarta, in its early development it was known as a small port
(pier) in the territory of the Sunda kingdom (Pasundan) which is located at the mouth of the Ciliwung
river. In the 12th century the port was known as the busiest port and was visited by ships from China,
Japan, South India and the Middle East. The growth of the city of Jakarta began with a Sunda coconut
port as a trading city. In the 17th century in 1619, the Dutch under the VOC seized Jayakarta and built
a new city known as Batavia, so that often the indigenous people called Jayakarta as Betawi. The
management of Jakarta was under different powers several times, starting from the VOC trade, then
continuing to the Dutch East Indies government, the military control of Japan, the Allies and the NICA
until finally the Indonesian Government. Along with Indonesia's independence was proclaimed,
Jakarta was officially used to replace the name Batavia and every June 22 is commemorated as the
anniversary of the city of Jakarta. The hybridity of the indigenous people of Jakarta, known as the
Betawi Malay tribe, is a combination of indigenous people, Europeans and foreign eastern people.
With the entry of non-indigenous people, Jakarta shows the characteristics of Jakarta society that
smells of "colonial urban society" brought by other nations who come to Jakarta. Among them is the
"Indisch" culture with a hybrid of diverse languages, customs and traditional arts (Lohanda: 1984).
The diversity of Jakarta people is inseparable from the influence of many different nations, tribes,
traditions, languages and cultures from various regions gathered in this region. Even the entry of
ethnicities from other nations such as China, India, Arab, Turkish, Persian, British and Dutch caused
marriage
Jakarta as a metropolitan city is different from other cities in Indonesia, this city is very strong
with the movement of the private sector and the center of the business world. Changing the life of
Jakarta can be done by revising the organization's management. The private sector centered on the
consumption sector and consumptive lifestyle must be directed to the productive sector that instills
a community orientation to produce, not spend. (Endah: 2012). Furthermore, Endah (2012)
mentioned that one of the development targets of Jakarta launched by Jokowi when he served as
governor was to meet the primary needs of Jakarta. This program is carried out by providing health
and education services for the poor. This community must be peaceful with those who will help when
they are sick and get the right to the future with school neglect. Creating this quality of life is an effort
to maintain health and create positive hope. The next development is the arrangement of slum
villages. The city always leaves slums that are not worthy of being called a city, therefore it is
necessary to improve the village area before arranging the city as a whole. This step is by sufficiency
of basic facilities such as public spaces, sanitation, streets and good green spaces. The value of
currency is important in the life of urban people, this condition has an impact on the rationality of
urban people to look at the exchange rate and profits that
Metropolis and Mental Life and Te Philosophy of Money analyze the forms of interaction that
occur in modern cities that emphasize more on objective culture produced by individuals such as
science, art, philosophy and the like. On the other hand, this condition has an impact on the decline
of individual culture, namely the capacity of actors to produce, absorb, and control objective culture.
This situation and condition as an impact of the money economy results in a decline in human
relations and social relations tend to be dominated by indifference and indifference. Feelings and
emotionality in modern urban society are characterized by the calculus needed in the money
economy or "money oriented" and work specialization (Kartono: 2010). According to Simmel, the
increasing number of people will increase individual freedom. On the other hand, in the wider society,
individuals have a tendency to be involved in several groups and the interactions that occur are not
deep (Ritzer, 2004:181). Simmel mentioned three basic concepts about cities; namely Group Size
(size), division of labour, and money economy. First, Size or group size shows quantity that leads to
quality. The size of the number of groups or communities affects the quality of interaction among
their members. Second, in urban communities, interaction does not occur in depth but is based on
the needs and specifics of work. The bonds of professional groups have closer ties compared to
neighbors or relatives. In the end, the life of a metropolis is impersonal, that is, it does not look at
individual personality attributes and calculatives. The relationship established is pseudo-and
The life of modernity and rationality is firmly built in the foundation of people's lives, making
the city more solid and strong into a dream city for the pursuit of material and even power. Everything
can be obtained and done on the basis of mature concepts and thoughts. All can move to determine
social mobility with their expertise. The improvement of an individual's social strata no longer looks
at his family background but rather on his skills now. That is the portrait of Jakarta as a city that
promises progress and a better life for anyone who wants to pit their fate and develop a career in this
city. Jakarta's modernity is an important asset in the development of knowledge, insight and progress
in all fields. While schools in other areas are still introducing technology at school age for the people
of Jakarta, these facilities can be provided from the time the baby is born. Therefore, it is not
surprising that this capital city can produce competent students and be able to compete at the
national and even global levels. The availability of facilities and infrastructure makes it easier for
people to take advantage of communication technology to change and help their lives for the better.
However, the competition faced by the community seems so real and very open. People or
people who do not have competence will be easily eliminated from competition on the grounds that
they do not have the capacity needed or desired by the company. All use rationality of thought based
on the benefits that will be provided by a person not on the basis of pity or even "humanity". That's
how the fight in the metropolitan city where anyone can be what they want but anyone can be
eliminated when they don't meet the prerequisites needed. The majority of the people of DKI Jakarta
are based on Muslim statistical data with a total of 9,253,906 people out of a total population of
10,504,100 people. Despite living in various different religious patterns, the people of Jakarta are
able to live in harmony and respect each other in carrying out their respective religious lives. One of
the toughest tests in religious harmony in Jakarta is during the regional elections because this
momentum is often an opportunity to show their respective identities that are used for the benefit of
the community or power.
One of the programs carried out by the regional office of the Ministry of Religion of DKI Jakarta
Province with FKUB DKI Jakarta provides education on peacebuilding to functional extension
workers within the framework of the School of Religions for Peace Development (SABDA) which
began in 2015. In 2019, a bullet point was compiled that brings peace in religious life known as
"Risalah Jakarta". there are several important issues conveyed in this Treatise which was read by
Mahfud MD as a result of an interfaith dialogue attended by religious scholars, cultural experts, and
academics. This activity was appreciated by the minister of religion at that time, Lukman Hakim SZ,
as a guideline in arranging the life and harmony of religious people. Some of the items conveyed at
the meeting were about conservatism, exclusivity and religious extremism. The emergence of this
understanding is not always religious, but insecurity due to injustice, legal formalism, politicization
of religion and cultural ways. In the next stage, this understanding became the reason for several
groups to fight for religious ideology as the state ideology. The dissatisfaction felt by the community
with the existing systems and policies makes people look for other alternatives in the hope of
providing a better livelihood.
The names of the villages of origin of immigrants such as Balinese village, Malay village,
Makassar village and others. If the government is less sensitive to social development that gives birth
to a sense of justice and welfare, it will invite brawls between villages and the emergence of
community-based social movements. Social class identification will be mixed with ethnic
sentiments so that it will give birth to movements with various motives such as economic, ethnic,
and political. B. Social Stratification and Political Rationality Jakarta as the country's capital is not
just a symbol of economic-political centralization that becomes a magnet for various interests.
Jakarta is the pinnacle of nation-state building that shows the plurality of its citizens and the plurality
of its identity. In the context of social stratification, this reality reflects an ideal portrait of an urban
society that lives in harmony in differences. Since it was officially declared as the capital of the
Republic of Indonesia, even less than five years the population of Jakarta has increased very rapidly
along with the increase in government affairs centered in Jakarta. The development of middle-class
housing is located in the Rawamangun, Pejompongan and Kebayoran Baru areas. The first largest
housing built by the private sector was Pondok Indah at the end of 1970. During the administration
of Governor Ali Sadikin, restrictions were placed on people coming to Jakarta, but this policy did not
continue so that Jakarta still had to deal with population density and other problems that followed it
(Setiati: 2009). Jakarta with the dynamics of life that follows it remains a city that has its own charm
The pattern of land ownership in Betawi society was initially controlled by Chinese and
European landlords. As an area located on the coast or port, very few people work as farmers,
because the merchant community is seen as more meaningful than farmers. In addition, there are
groups of people called "centeng" and "jagoan" who are used by landlords to maintain or compete
for positions. Thus, the social stratification in Betawi society consists of Chinese/European
landlords, indigenous masters, jagoan or centeng, hajj, ngaji teachers and ordinary people (Lohanda:
1984). Sociologically looking at the city begins by looking at the social structure of society in social
stratification and social differentiation. Social stratification is a vertical layering of society such as
rich, middle and poor people. Meanwhile, social differentiation looks at horizontal social differences
such as ethnicity, religion, type of profession and so on. Jakarta is a large campus area that has a
plural cultural diversity. Sociologically, the character, attitude and behavior of various groups of
people in Jakarta are determined by two factors, namely compliance with
"cultural goals" i.e. "ends" and adherence to "legalized means of achieving cultural goals" i.e.
"means". Based on these characteristics, according to Merton, as quoted by Wirutomo (2012), the
people of Jakarta can be classified into several categories: first, the conformist group, namely people
who can accept cultural demands and comply with all legitimate means to achieve these cultural
goals. Second, the innovative group; People who agree with cultural goals while looking for
innovation to achieve goals even by breaking the rules. Third, the rebel faction, which is people who
are uncomfortable with the demands of "capitalist" culture and try to rebel against the existing city
culture. Fourth, the ritualist class, which is people who obey the rules but do not care about cultural
goals. Fifth, the indifferent group is the "marginalized" group and is often referred to as the "asocial"
group.
Furthermore, Wirutomo (2012) explained the sociological division of Jakarta society into 5
social strata; First, the urban elite as well as the national elite. This group is small in number but has
a very important sociological significance. This group consists of high-ranking state officials such as
the president, ministers, members of the House of Representatives and other high-ranking officials
including community leaders and celebrities. This group is very aware and understands and has an
interest in urban development policies. Sociologically, this group controls the social structure of the
city and even the nation. This is where the role of the government is required to be able to create a
fairer power relationship between the interests of the elite and the general public. Second, the
middle class is people who have a certain profession with a guaranteed career and income and a
considerable level of independence.
The special thing about this group is that they have reliable human capital such as knowledge,
expertise, and skills in various fields. This group works in the formal sector either as civil servants or
in the private sector. Along with the increase in development, this group is growing in career and
income. This group often issues social criticism of the socio-economic life of the city when it sees
disparities and injustices. In Merton's typology of character and behavior, this group belongs to the
comformists and innovative because of their high potential in human resources. In daily life, this
group is more attached to their professional community than working together in the RT and RW
where they live. Third, the transitional group, namely those who do not belong to the middle class
but are not socioeconomically inferior or in other words fall into the category of "lower middle class".
This group already has established jobs in the formal sector, both private and public. They have
access to housing, health and education facilities. The number of this group is quite large, around
50% of the entire population of Jakarta. Even though they live in the city, they have not been able to
escape from the primordial aspect and are still carrying out the tradition of "returning home". They
bring middle-class culture to the village even though it is "not yet right" because it does come from
the lower middle class.
Mobilizing their participation is very easy because they still develop strong emotional and
social bonds in their spatial communities. Their concern for their community is reflected in their role
as the head of RW/RT. In Merton's diagram of character and behavioral attitudes, this group is still in
the conformist category but the difficulties in life experienced by the younger generation encourage
Fourth, the urban poor, namely people who are not yet socio-economically established. This group
is a group of migrants who do not have a Jakarta resident card, live in poor or slum villages and work
in the informal sector on average. This group makes Jakarta a place to find nafah and does not have
a permanent place of residence because for them the house is in the village. Population status and
non-permanent residence are sometimes prone to raids and often do not get public services from
the government. The existence of this marginalized group is sometimes considered a "disturber" of
order, often considered to be deviant, so that the labeling makes this group difficult to order. This
group is trying to survive and provide a livelihood for their families in the village. Although this group
is marginalized, it has a role in supporting the city's economy in the income equalization mechanism
so that it can reduce greater turmoil. Fifth, the poorest group is those who are homeless and beggars
known as People with Social Welfare Problems (PMKS). In the Merton category, this group is included
in the category of retreatists, namely people who do not have social awareness and concern or
"asocial". Weber sees the development of the city model in general in four categories. First, urban
communities are based on trade. Second, cities must have courts, laws or political autonomy as
well as military forces for defense. Third, urban communities must have interconnected
associations. Fourth, each city has a culture in a span of time and history with a different process
(Kartono: 2010). The birth of cities in the West provided an alternative to the feudal order and became
the place for the development of modern capitalism that led to rationality. This transition began with
the existence of an industrialization machine that shifted the role of feudal landlord power. There is
a shift in power from landlords to capitalists as capital holders in large and massive industries. The
city has the characteristics of a relatively closed, large settlement, has a market and partial political
autonomy. Large and closed settlements are sociologically understandable because residents are
rarely at home because they spend time at work. The results obtained from his work are manifested
in the form of a magnificent and luxurious residence as a symbol of social class.
The house is more of a symbol of social class than a place to live because of the many
activities outside the home that sometimes require workers to go home late at night. The work of
urban communities has no limit day or night because work tends to be done indoors. The market as
a place to sell industrial products is a strategic place as a means of exchanging goods and services.
The market functions to meet the needs of city residents with additional goods produced from the
surrounding area or from the countryside. The existence of the market serves to find production
products as a need for public consumption. The existence of a modern market is an attraction for
upper-middle-class consumers with more comfortable, clean and neat facilities. At this time, a
virtual market has emerged with applications that make it easier for consumers to find and fulfill their
needs without having to leave the house. Such is technology and capitalism
Weber defines a city economically as a place where people live that prioritize commercial activities
compared to agriculture because of the limited land of the city.
Plant products from the area around the city will be brought and traded in urban areas. An
ideal urban community describes commercial trade relations as a characteristic of the city's income.
City life is very synonymous with the exchange of money and limited space. All are related to the
exchange rate of money to get material things and fulfill all desires. Money is the main capital in
people's purchasing power because nothing is free in urban society. This reason is the rationality of
urban people in pursuing material things because of the situation and living conditions that support
urban people to do that. Politically, a city has political autonomy in determining its government. A
city is an area consisting of several government centers that can solve administrative and political
affairs directly. The military with a set of security stands alone as a force that serves as a tool of
resilience to defend the government. The defense system was created as a form of anticipation of
attacks from outside parties who wanted to control the territory by subduing the central city. The
existence of courts and laws is an institution that must be owned by a city government because the
law applied is a positive law in adjudicating every case that arises in society. In their political choices,
urban residents tend to be more rational choices than rural people. The rational choice put forward
by Coleman shows that the actions taken by a person are more oriented to the preference for
advantages that a person gives in performing an action. An individual performs an action on the basis
of the material benefits he obtains. This theory is closely related to economic behavior in society.
There is a rational choice theory in looking at a person's political choices in elections that are
oriented towards the benefits obtained from their chosen candidates. Politics is used by society as
a tool to gain power. An individual's position in the ruling elite or political elite has a major influence
on the income and social status obtained. Thus, political battles become important for gaining
power and changing one's social status. Weber's analysis shows that the change in medieval cities
in Western Europe began with a change in the feudal system that relied on the power of landlords to
an industrial society that led more to a capitalist system that prioritized the profits obtained by the
capitalists. The rationality built by the capitalist system is oriented towards the rationality of the
profits it obtains from the results of capital ownership and massive industrial development. Medieval
cities were the location of revolutions, times of change or even the collapse of political authority,
and as a place for the emergence of new classes and strata that were an attempt to transform the
feudal system.
The emergence of this is a change in the government structure that relies on the royal system
to a democratic system of government that is elected and determined by the people. The emergence
of a new strata is with the existence of a new elite class that is able to occupy a new position in the
government. In the political dimension, the development of rational law emerged which was
prepared by a group of professional administrators and functioned as a legal basis when problems
arose in the community that were decided through court institutions. This condition is the basis for
the enactment of positive law in urban society which is determined by legal institutions and formed
by the ruler. Urban society that is synonymous with modern life always prioritizes rationality in its life.
This rationality is included in determining the candidate of choice in the Pilkada process. Research
conducted by Jayani (2016) explained that the 2015 Regional Elections in the city of Surabaya
showed the rationality of the people of Surabaya in determining their chosen candidates. The public
has the ability to weigh the good and the bad or the advantages when choosing one of the candidates.
In another study conducted by Haliim (2017) showed the same results that in the process of the
Malang City Election in 2013 showed the rationality of the city community in determining the
candidate they chose.
One interesting thing from the results of this study shows that the urban poor will choose
candidates because of the candidate's proximity to the community in addition to other rational
reasons, such as money politics. There are two reasons for seeing the tendency of people to want to
accept money politics, namely economically not yet established and low level of public education.
There is a correlation between the level of the economy that is not yet established and the low
education of the people so that they are willing to accept money in exchange for politics. Money
politics has an impact on the low bargaining position in every policy-making because of their votes It
does not represent the candidate of his choice but is "bought" by politicians. So it is clear that money
politics has a bad impact on society. The biggest peer for the government is to provide political
education to all levels of society so that people can understand political problems and further as a
defense of the community against money politics. From these two studies, the rational choice of
urban people shows that prospective voters are very relevant to the characteristics of rational urban
communities. The rationality of prospective voters for economic reasons is very important with the
principle of rational choice that provides benefits for voters. It appears that the social class of the
voting community is related to the rationality of prospective voters in making their choices.
Furthermore, in the research conducted by Jayani (2016), it is seen that there are several approaches
that can be taken in looking at the individual's background in making their choices. First, the
sociological approach, which is based on social characteristics and groupingSocial grouping. The
level of education and employment of voters also determines in considering the candidates to be
chosen. An entrepreneur will have a tendency to choose candidates who are considered to be able
to protect their business. In terms of power relations, the ruler and businessmen have a close
relationship and can be mutual
In the case of the 2017 Jakarta regional elections, the religious factor became a sharp
spotlight, causing a massive movement that moved Muslims to come to Jakarta. Although religion is
not the main factor, if there is friction between candidates, religion can be used as a rational reason
for choosing one of the candidates chosen by the community. The region of origin of the voter and
the candidate of his choice is also the background of the voter's reason. Slogans from the region that
say "our people", "sedulur" or "baraya" are considered effective enough to attract choices against
certain candidates. Second, a psychological approach that emphasizes 3 psychological aspects as
the main study, namely emotional ties to a political party, orientation to issues and orientation
towards candidates. Emotional attachment to the party is the reason for voters to make their choice.
This reason cannot be measured by how many other people voted for his party of choice.
Psychologically, individuals in determining their preferred party are related to their orientation
towards the party and the candidates carried by the party. The fanaticism of the group that arises
from a person in the psychological aspect is related to the understanding of the orientation built by
the party. For example, a party can provide an orientation that provides clarity or comfort for its
voters.
The orientation of the party affects a person's psychology so that it will be reflected in the
way of attitude and behavior of the party's voters, for example from the way they dress. Third, a
rational approach that assumes that there are situational factors that play a role in influencing a
person's political choices. This rational choice defeats sociological and psychological reasons by
prioritizing the rationality of voters at the time of making their choices. Voter rationality relates to
situational factors that can be political issues or information about the nominated candidate. This
condition, for example, is related to economic factors, or the term "money politics" trend. The
economic squeeze experienced by voters and then the offer given by one of the specific candidates
became the rational reason for the voters. Another condition, for example, is due to the spread of
political issues that support or bring down one of the candidates. The spread of political issues even
accompanied by hoax news can affect the rationality of choice for certain candidates. Cases that
occur in regional elections often appear as competition between candidates. News on social media,
both Facebook, WA, and Twitter, which is continuously disseminated to the public, affects the
rationality of voters in making their choices. It could be that before the circulation of political issues,
voters already had certain candidates, but with the circulation of news on social media about the
candidate of their choice, it will change their choice decision. The rational approach explains that a
person has the ability to make his own choices using the information that has been circulated. In the
next discussion, we will look at these various approaches in the case of the Regional Elections in DKI
Jakarta. The people of Jakarta are an urban society that is synonymous with the value of rationality.
So, is the election process in
Socio-Political Dynamics of DKI Jakarta This section captures the political journey of Jakarta
residents since after independence until now. One of the interesting things to be photographed is
the deviation that occurs, especially in elections, namely the existence of political choices outside
the mainstream. Such as the PPP's victory in Jakarta during the New Order era or the political choices
of Jakarta residents that are not fully based on rationality. Jurgen Ruland (1988) as quoted by
Nurmandi explained several political approaches in studying city government. First, the legal-
institutional approach is to discuss the city government from institutional regulations, functions
performed, power, autonomy, personnel management and the performance of the city government
in the provision of public services. Second, the normative approach, which is an approach that
emphasizes more on democratic values, political participation, local autonomy, representation and
responsibility to the public. Third, the circular causation model approach, which is an approach
related to institutionalization and economic development. Fourth, the community power approach,
which is an approach that seeks to identify the power structure in a society through empirical data.
Fifth, the penetrated system approach aims to analyze the influence of supralocal forces and vertical
political interactions on local governments.
The sixth comparative approach is to focus on the prole and comparison of several local or
metropolitan governments. The interesting thing about some of the approaches offered in
photographing the people of Jakarta is the approach of community power. This approach focuses on
the role of elites in local politics which includes the background, patterns of attitudes and behaviors
as well as the resources used to influence the decision-making process. The pattern of
communication between elite members and their factions is seen as a factor that directs political
results. The political elite has a strong role in influencing urban people in making their choices. Urban
society has very interactive social dynamics in line with very dynamic social processes and
interactions. Wirth (1978) explained that the city is a heterogeneous, dense and spacious community
settlement. Heterogeneity tends to damage rigid social structures and give birth to the affiliation of
individuals with plural social groups. The heterogeneity of Jakarta people with various regional
backgrounds, languages and ethnicities can be united by common interests or specializations of
work among them. Urban communities can come together in associations based on employment
with voluntary membership. The interaction built in the work association will be more intense
compared to the background of their tribe or region of origin. The density of urban society is followed
by the diversification and specialization of city residents. Certain specialties or expertise that
individuals have in a dense society as capital become the elite of society with their knowledge.
Religious leaders are the figure that the community is looking for when it comes to the times.
Specialization of work and science is indispensable in a very dense urban society with
specialization and diversification of each. Material relationships sometimes trump personal
relationships and the availability of various institutions that try to meet the needs of society.
Individual groups can be well organized through mass groups. Furthermore, Tonnies (1940)
explained that social relations in urban society have several characteristics, namely; First, the
relationship that is established is formal because it is based on an agreement or contract. Formal
relationships in the workplace cannot be replaced by others without a new contract being agreed. It
is different from jobs in rural communities that can replace each other. Second, relationships based
on interests or goals. Associations built by urban communities based on certain science and
specializations with the same mindset to realize organizational goals. Third, relationships are
rational based on the interests that are built. A manager will select and determine employee staff
based on their specialization and abilities. The employment contract will be terminated if it is
considered that there is no profit to be taken. Fourth, the relationship is not intimate or impersonal.
Relationships built in urban society are based on interests rather than on the basis of personal
relationships. A consumer buys a certain product because of the need for the product it produces.
Similarly, a person is respected and respected because of his position or position
