Partisipasi Masyarakat Dalam Pembangunan Melalui Forum Adat Berdasarkan Perspektif Masyarakat Dusun 5 Desa Bale Kecamatan Tanantovea Kabupaten Donggala Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah

Abstract

Effective village development requires the active involvement of the community as the primary subject of development. This study aims to identify and describe community participation in village development through customary forums in Hamlet 5 of Bale Village, Tanantovea District, Donggala Regency, Central Sulawesi. The conceptual framework adopted refers to the four dimensions of community participation as proposed by Cohen and Uphoff, namely: decision-making, implementation, benefit utilization, and evaluation. This study employed a descriptive method with a qualitative approach. Data were collected through observation, documentation, and in-depth interviews with informants selected using purposive sampling, including village government officials, customary leaders, hamlet heads, and local residents. Data validity was tested using source triangulation, while data analysis followed the Miles and Huberman model. The findings reveal that the community of Hamlet 5, Bale Village, has participated across all four dimensions of development, although the level of effectiveness varies. In the decision-making dimension, the customary forum held at the Baruga (traditional community hall) serves as the primary venue for conveying community aspirations such as proposals for road infrastructure and candlenut shelling equipment although community attendance has not been fully optimal due to personal commitments. In the implementation dimension, community participation is strongly manifested through the culture of gotong royong (voluntary collective labor), particularly in the physical construction of roads and bridges, as well as the management of candlenut plantations, both of which are supported by the village government and security personnel. In the benefit utilization dimension, the infrastructure that has been built has had a positive impact on the economic mobility of candlenut farmers, although its benefits remain unevenly distributed due to the persisting poor condition of certain road sections. Finally, in the evaluation dimension, oversight continues to operate in an informal, familial manner through social communication among village government officials, customary leaders, and the wider community. This study concludes that customary forums play a strategic role in bridging participatory development communication at the village level