The Role of Kyai in Local Democracy in Tasikmalaya City

<p>Tasikmalaya city is one of Indonesia&#39;s biggest Muslim populations based on statistical data on the population and number of Islamic Boarding School (<em>Pesantren</em>) in the City. This fact affects to process and result of the local democracy of the City. Islamic political parties are dominant, and therefore the trend shows that candidates of mayor from Muslim-based political parties become the winners of the local election. One of the important elements in the local democracy in Tasikmalaya City is the role of Muslim intellectual figures, who are called kyai. Kyai is an important figure, and therefore they may influence the socio-culture of the City. This research aimed to analyze the role of kyai in local democracy in Tasikmalaya city through normative-empirical legal research and using primary and secondary data. The result of research indicates that Kyai has a significant role in local democracy in the City by participating in general and local elections, making legal policies, involving in human development programs through Islamic education, and mediating on social conflicts in the City. However, kyai have some problems in performing those roles: limited role in religious education, while Islamic thought is comprehensive thought. Another problem is a social condition in urban city models, which means the City has a complicated social problem.</p>