POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Participation became one of the fundamental principles of good governance, so that many people put participation as the initial strategy in initiating the reform of 1998. Participation comes from the latin word pars which means part and capere which means taking part in the activity or political activity of the country. Combined means "taking part". In English, participation or participation means taking part or role. So participation means taking part in the activities or political activities of the state (Suharno, 2004: 102-103). Political participation is one of the important aspects of democracy. Political participation is a hallmark of political modernization. The existence of political decisions made and implemented by the government concerning and affecting the lives of citizens, the citizens are entitled to participate in determining the content of political decisions. Therefore it is political participation according to Hutington and Nelson cited by Cholisin (2007: 151) are citizen activities acting as individuals intended to influence government decision-making. Ramlan Surbakti as quoted by Cholisin (2007: 150) provi Participationefinition of political participation as a form of citizen participation in determining all decisions that affect or affect his life. According to Miriam Budiarjo, (in Cholisin 2007: 150) states that political participation in general can be defined as the activity of a person or group of people to participate actively in political life, that is by choosing the leader of the State and directly or indirectly influence public policy ). This includes actions such as voting in general elections, attending a rally, being a member of a party or interest group, establishing contacts with government officials or members of parliament, and so on.