Rural Leadership in Maluku in the New Order Indonesia

The Soeharto government which ruled Indonesia from 1966 to 1998 was an interventionist state. Its intervention was felt elsewhere in the country, including in remote areas in Maluku (Moluccas) Province in Eastern Indonesia. The study focusses on relationships between adat (customary law), religion, and the state. It suggests that although adat and religion are resilient in facing with state intervention, the influence of the state is seen in nearly aspects of the villagers' lives such as education, family planning, and voting. It also concludes that the state intervention through the Law No.5 of 79 on Village Government, has an impact on the authority of the raja (Ambonese traditional local ruler) from an adat leader with a considerable autonomy, increasingly to become an administrative official. The analysis should help explaining of how local societies and local institutions attempted to resist state intervention in the New Order period, and should be worthwhile to researchers in local politics and local autonomy, as well as, local government officials. Key words: Adat , raja , religion, village government, New Order Government.