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Political Communication Brokerage and Election Law Compliance: The Role of Socio-Religious Values and Environmental Ethics in Tambak Lorok

Contemporary Issues on Interfaith Law and Society · Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026) · pp. 307–340

DOI
10.15294/ciils.v5i1.34463
ISSN
2829-8624, 2829-8373
Published
2026-06-30
Publisher
Universitas Negeri Semarang
Language
eng
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

Abstract

This study aims to examine the role of political brokers in communication practices in the Tambak Lorok fishing community in Semarang City, Central Java, focusing on compliance with election laws and the politicization of environmental issues. The community experiences multiple vulnerabilities, ranging from socio-ecological crises affecting socio-economic life to political mobilization practices that turn voting into an electoral commodity. Data were collected using a case study approach, specifically through in-depth interviews with 10 informants, including five brokers and five community members, as well as an analysis of secondary document sources. The results showed that three types of brokers, namely activists, clientelists, and opportunists, operated simultaneously, exploiting environmental issues, including tidal flooding, diesel fuel shortages, and coastal waste as political narratives. These narratives were used to build candidate legitimacy and mobilize votes based on promises of ecological solutions, often combined with the practice of money politics. Political brokers were not only agents of patronage but also communication actors who framed local issues in electoral political discourse. In practice, political brokers occupied a biased position by engaging in legitimate political communication and violating Law Number 7 of 2017. A central finding of this study is the systematic weaponization of Islamic jurisprudential concepts—specifically the intentional conflation of risywah (bribery) with shadaqah (alms) and hadiah (gifts)—within communal pengajian spaces to neutralize legal resistance to vote-buying. It constitutes a paradigmatic case of interfaith legal tension, where Islamic normative frameworks are inverted to subvert state electoral law. In conclusion, this study contributes to strengthening the understanding of informal actors, electoral law, and the quality of democracy, specifically at the local level, while expanding the discourse on how environmental issues are politicized in the context of urban coastal communities in developing countries.

Keywords

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25 authors · 65 co-authorship links

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Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Iwan Hardi SaputroAffiliation unknown2
Restu Ayu MumpuniAffiliation unknown2
Himmatul UlyaAffiliation unknown2
Siti Muslikhatul UmmahAffiliation unknown2
Natal KristionoAffiliation unknown1
Ruhadi RuhadiAffiliation unknown1
Bambang WiwitonoAffiliation unknown1
Zahra Zilan SyahidahAffiliation unknown1
Didi Khomsa PrasetyanaAffiliation unknown1
Wenny Eka SeptinaAffiliation unknown1
Sunarto .Affiliation unknown1
Siti FatimahAffiliation unknown1
Aisyah Nur Sayidatun NisaAffiliation unknown1
Sawitri Indah LestariAffiliation unknown1
Arief WahyudiantoAffiliation unknown1
Tutik WijayantiAffiliation unknown1
Novia Wahyu WardhaniAffiliation unknown1
Nurul Alam LestariAffiliation unknown1
Ahmad Azis Nur IlmanAffiliation unknown1
Rania Arrum DianiAffiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ciils/oai, first harvested 5 Nov 2026, last seen 5 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Political Communication Brokerage and Election Law Compliance: The Role of Socio-Religious Values and Environmental Ethics in Tambak Lorok</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Nugraheni Arumsari</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Pawito</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Rahmanto, Andre Noevi </dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Suharto, Didik Gunawan</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Muhammad, Rizqi Adri </dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">political brokers</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">political communication</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">compliance with election laws</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">coastal community</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">interfaith law</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">This study aims to examine the role of political brokers in communication practices in the Tambak Lorok fishing community in Semarang City, Central Java, focusing on compliance with election laws and the politicization of environmental issues. The community experiences multiple vulnerabilities, ranging from socio-ecological crises affecting socio-economic life to political mobilization practices that turn voting into an electoral commodity. Data were collected using a case study approach, specifically through in-depth interviews with 10 informants, including five brokers and five community members, as well as an analysis of secondary document sources. The results showed that three types of brokers, namely activists, clientelists, and opportunists, operated simultaneously, exploiting environmental issues, including tidal flooding, diesel fuel shortages, and coastal waste as political narratives. These narratives were used to build candidate legitimacy and mobilize votes based on promises of ecological solutions, often combined with the practice of money politics. Political brokers were not only agents of patronage but also communication actors who framed local issues in electoral political discourse. In practice, political brokers occupied a biased position by engaging in legitimate political communication and violating Law Number 7 of 2017. A central finding of this study is the systematic weaponization of Islamic jurisprudential concepts—specifically the intentional conflation of risywah (bribery) with shadaqah (alms) and hadiah (gifts)—within communal pengajian spaces to neutralize legal resistance to vote-buying. It constitutes a paradigmatic case of interfaith legal tension, where Islamic normative frameworks are inverted to subvert state electoral law. In conclusion, this study contributes to strengthening the understanding of informal actors, electoral law, and the quality of democracy, specifically at the local level, while expanding the discourse on how environmental issues are politicized in the context of urban coastal communities in developing countries. </dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Universitas Negeri Semarang</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2026-06-30</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ciils/article/view/34463</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/ciils.v5i1.34463</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Contemporary Issues on Interfaith Law and Society; Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): Interfaith Dialogue and the Rule of Law;  307-340 </dc:source>
	<dc:source>2829-8624</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2829-8373</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ciils/article/view/34463/10857</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2026 Nugraheni Arumsari, Pawito, Andre Noevi Rahmanto , Didik G. Suharto, Rizqi Adri Muhammad (Author)</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>