Competition and Cooperation in Social and Political Sciences – Adi & Achwan (Eds) © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-62676-8 Contestation of aristocratic and non-aristocratic politics in the political dynamic in North Maluku I.R.A. Arsad Department of Administration, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia ABSTRACT: The local political dynamics in North Maluku is influenced by the people’s political ideology and culture. In each era in Indonesia, the contestation of aristocratic and non-aristocratic group has shown the political contestation of the federation system versus the unitary system in the local government when the Republic of Indonesia was established, and the contestation on the establishment of North Maluku Province between special status and non-special status in the reformation era. The contestation was influenced by the egalitarian political culture on the political ideology of both aristocratic and non aristocratic political groups. In this article, the aristocrats still take part in both local and national political activi- ties since they are benefited by the egalitarian political ideology in the local political culture and the patron-client relationship. This study has shown that in North Maluku, political ideology still influences political behavior, although Firman Noor (2014, p. 63) states that political ideology has been replaced by pragmatism in Indonesia, because it is influenced by the local political culture and the patron-client relationship. 1 INTRODUCTION Political contestation between aristocratic and non-aristocratic politics has long been in line with the transformation of a political system in Indonesia, which is the process of unification of the native states into the new state of the Republic of Indonesia after the dissolution of the Federal Republic of Indonesia. Meanwhile, the variant of the association between aristo- cratic and non-aristocratic politics in different countries may result from the different process of unification in political transformation in those countries. In England, the state’s political transformation (unification) of the native state of mon- archy to the new state proceeded gradually after the integration of the kingdoms to result in the currently known United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. William M. Downs (in Ishiyama & Breunings 2013, p. 284–285) describes that the process of unification of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland has proceeded for centuries. In the Republic of Italy, the unification process was resulted by the role of the totalitarian regime of Musolini through a referendum to determine the form of a republic, so that monarchic states, such as Sicily, Sardinia, and others have to be subject to the result of the referendum encoded in the state constitution (Strong 1958, p. 80). In France, the process of unification was resulted by a social revolution that replaced the absolute monarch and bourgeois local rulers with the republic state (Skocpol, 1991, p. 21). In China, the dynasty of Manchu was defeated by a social revolution triggered by the establishment of the people’s congress by Chiang Kai Sek who led the nationalist power and Mao Tse Tung who led the communist power in 1945. Later, in 1949, the communist power took control of the congress and established the People’s Republic. In India and Pakistan, the states’ political transformations occurred through the unification of the native states that resulted in a new province as part of the federal union states (Strong, 1958, p. 295–303). 115 In Indonesia, social revolution also occurred, but it was not as radical as that in France and China. Although Kahin described that Indonesian revolution driven by Indonesia’s intel- lectuals has successfully resulted in the transformation of the nation’s character during the period of 1945–1950,1 the process of unification was partially resulted by the emergence of the new nationalism awareness among the aristocrats, as reflected in the debates concern- ing the form of the state in the conferences of Malino, Denpasar, and the Round Table.2 The unification process in Indonesia reached the end after the transfer of power from the aristocratic-monarchic rulers to the government of the Republic of Indonesia.3 Political transformation in a state has described the role of aristocratic groups in the newly established state. However, due to the influence of the common establishment of the nation state after World War II, aristocratic politics had to face the fierce challenges from the nationalistic group with their likely orientation to the state ideology of republic, which is particularly true in Indonesia. In North Maluku, the political role of the aristocratic group in local and national politics has been very dynamic. Earlier at the initial moment of Indonesia’s independence, the aristo- cratic group played a significant role in local and national politics. However, at the same time they had to get involved in the political contestation with the non-aristocratic republican group. The political role of the aristocratic group ended when North Maluku had to comply with the Unitary State concept after the dissolution of the United Republic of Indonesia. The non-aristocratic group had always won the prolonged contestation of local and national politics until the New Order. When the New Order collapsed, the contestation went on in line with the political transparency and the resurgence of the traditional aristocratic rulers in North Maluku. The contestation was apparent in the establishment of the Province of North Maluku during the period of 1998–1999. The strive of the aristocratic group in mak- ing North Maluku a special region in the decentralization system in Indonesia was part of political efforts since the establishment of the Province of North Maluku up to now. The repeated political contestation reveals the existence of strong ideology and political interest adopted by the two political groups in North Maluku. The aristocratic group has been more likely to strive for the political values focusing on the balanced position between the local and central government through the system of federalism. As a result, they required to establish Provincial-level special territory. This ideology is in line with the commonly adopted democratic culture and ideology in the local political culture of North Maluku’s Moloku Kie Raha. The system comprising four kingdoms has influenced the political ideol- ogy of the aristocratic group. On the other hand, the non-aristocratic political group resisted the system of feudalism in the local politics. This idea is influenced by the democratic politi- cal culture adopted in the constitutional monarchy system in the political culture of North Maluku. After the reformation in Indonesia, the non-aristocratic political group has consist- ently resisted the special local governmental system for the Province of North Maluku. The contestation between the two groups is resulted from the influence of the contesting federal- ism and the Unitarian ideology after the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, and the democratic versus feudalistic ideology after the reform era in North Maluku. Considering the contestation between the aristocratic and non-aristocratic groups in the local politics of North Maluku, this study would like to answer the questions of the dominant factors underlying the contestation between the aristocratic and non-aristocratic groups in local politics in North Maluku. In addition, this study would also like to identify the process of contestation between the aristocratic and non-aristocratic groups in different Indonesian political eras in North Maluku and the aristocratic political role in the local 1. George McTurnan Kahin, Nasionalisme dan Revolusi Indonesia, (Depok: Komunitas Bambu, 2013), pp. 657–658. 2. See Ida Agung Anak Agung, Dari Negara Indonesia Timur ke Republik Indonesia Serikat, (Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University Press, 1985), and Leirissa, Kekuatan Ketiga dalam Perjuangan Kemerdekaan Indonesia, (Jakarta: Pustaka Sejarah, 2006). 3. Ibid. 116 political dynamics in North Maluku Province, particularly in the election. Considering the questions of the study, this paper would like to argue that the political ideology in Indonesia, in spite of the abandonment as stated by Firman Noor, plays a significant role in the political behavior of the contesting aristocratic and non-aristocratic groups due to the existence of the egalitarian political culture and the patron-client relation. 1.1 Theoretical analysis and methodology A number of political concepts concerning the contestation between the aristocratic and non-aristocratic politics in North Maluku can be described with the theory of political cul- ture and political ideology concept that have accordingly encouraged the political behavior of the citizens. Political culture and local political culture are concerned with the political attitude and behavior of the citizen, which accordingly lead to the political life. The contestation of aristocratic and non-aristocratic politics can be conceptually and the- oretically explained in the political ideology that has driven the citizens’ political behavior. Political culture and local political culture describe the citizens’ political behavior in a par- ticular community. It consists of a set of values or norms adopted in political life. A number of political scholars define political culture as the citizens’ orientation or a set of mindset