Title: Ethnic Violence and Electoral Politics in the Periphery

Submitted by: Jamie Davidson

This paper explores the recent political mobilization of Dayak communities in West Kalimantan and juxtaposes these yet "unnamed" reform efforts against the urban-based, middle-class reformasi movement centered in the provincial capital, Pontianak. These rural reform efforts and their relative success stem from the 1996/97 clashes between Dayak and Madurese communities. This post-violence, political mobilization has manifested itself in the incessant demonstrations and protests staged at provincial and district assemblies and at logging and plantation companies, accompanied by occasional violence. The numerous Dayak recently appointed to the district head position (bupati) reflects the preliminary success of this political mobilization. This paper further maintains that, although in the 1999 elections Golkar won many of the very same rural districts where Dayak mobilization is strong, these rural reform efforts to date have outstripped its urban-based, middle-class counterpart.

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Carol Burnett
Asialink
The University of Melbourne
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Victoria AUSTRALIA

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Email: c.burnett@asialink.unimelb.edu.au