Towards the Consolidation of Local Democracy in Indonesia: A Historical Approach of Traditional Nagari in Minangkabau vs Colonial State

Tengku Rika Valentina; Roni Ekha Putera

Authors

Tengku Rika Valentina Faculty of Social Science & Political Sciences, Universitas Andalas, Indonesia
Roni Ekha Putera Faculty of Social Science & Political Sciences, Universitas Andalas, Indonesia

Keywords:

Local Democracy, Consolidation, Nagari, Minangkabau, Political Power, Indonesia

Abstract

Local democracy is still being developed in Indonesia and precedents for the modern form, such as the nagari of West Sumatra are of interest as models but also for the culture that may yet influence local politics today. An examination of the deconstruction of traditional nagari history and its contribution to local democratic consolidation in Indonesia constitutes an intriguing analysis of the democratic "experiment" that accompanied this development. This article analyzes three fundamental historical narrative themes as regards the nagari’s development as a model for local democracy: (i) the impact of suprastate intervention on the traditional nagari system in Minangkabau, beginning with the Hindu-Buddhist Kingdom of Pagaruyung and continuing through the Islamic transformation of the 16th century; (ii) the impact of the Padri Wars (1803-1838), political movements, and social disorder on the political and governmental structure of traditional nagari in Minangkabau; and (iii) the structural changes brought by Dutch colonial rule. Our research produced three conclusions: first, big state intervention in the development of nagari transpired due to pressure and Islamic influence stemming from the syncretic Islamic Kingdom of Pagaruyung (1560s) and the Hindu-Buddhist Kingdom of Pagaruyung (1400s); second, the political and governmental structure of traditional nagari was transformed as a consequence of social unrest in the Padri Wars; and third, further intervention was instigated by the struggle for power between the Dutch and nagari. This article examines the discourse surrounding the political structure of traditional nagari, which emerged in the 1990s as a scholarly investigation of the process of democratic consolidation at the local level in West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Author Biography

Roni Ekha Putera, Faculty of Social Science & Political Sciences, Universitas Andalas, Indonesia

Departement of Public Administration

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