Do ethnic politics matter? Reassessing the role of ethnicity in local elections in Indonesia

While recent scholarship has investigated the role of money politics in Indonesia, much less has been said about the part played by sentiments of identity. We argue here that ethnicity and religion remain crucial to an understanding of the processes of local politics and electioneering. We have coined the term ethnicity and religion based organization (ERBO) and used it as a basis for an examination of ethnicity and religion based identity politics in Lampung, the southernmost province of Sumatra. Ethnic identity dovetails largely with religious identity and is a dominant force in the local politics of Lampung, a province that, while multi-ethnic, has a population consisting overwhelmingly of migrants who relocated from the island of Java primarily as a result of the transmigration programme. ERBOs are the vehicle used by local leaders to channel ethnic sentiment and translate it into votes; they are often instrumental in selecting and campaigning for candidates, ensuring voter turnout and arranging rewards. Reflecting ethnic sensitivities, however, some ERBOs refrain from entering the political domain and direct their energies to social and cultural spheres. In presenting this evidence, we seek to qualify recent claims that ethnicity no longer plays an important part in Indonesian politics.