Ketidakberdayaan Warga Mahakam Ulu dalam Menuntut Hak Keselamatan Transportasi: Perspektif Keadilan Infrastruktur dan Kegagalan Tata Kelola Pelayanan Publik

Abstract

This study describes the forms of powerlessness experienced by residents of Mahakam Ulu in asserting their right to transportation safety and analyzes how transportation service governance influences this condition, using a descriptive qualitative approach with ten informants selected through purposive and snowball sampling, analyzed through governance theory reinforced by the perspectives of infrastructure justice and community capability/participation. The findings show that residents' powerlessness is formed through four mutually reinforcing layers: the normalization of safety risks, structural compulsion arising from the absence of alternative transportation modes, the narrowing of residents' capability to voice concerns due to minimal effective participation spaces, and the slow government response to complaints. From an infrastructure justice perspective, inequality stems not only from the absence of physical facilities but also from the lack of minimum safety standards at high-risk points, with the heaviest burden borne by vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and people with disabilities. Governance failure stems from the fragmentation of authority across levels of government and weak inter-agency coordination. These three findings interlock, forming a structural cycle that deepens residents' powerlessness. The study recommends strengthening cross-government coordination and establishing accessible, responsive complaint mechanisms in 3T (frontier, outermost, disadvantaged) regions.