ABSTRACT
In this study, we discuss the articulation of cultural identities in Riau Province, Indonesia, which—through fund transfers from the Central Government in the form of oil and gas revenue sharing—has become a success story of decentralisation in the post-Soeharto era. Decentralisation has provided opportunities for creating new regions, which Riau has made uses of since 1999. However, the wish of residents of Mandau district in Bengkalis Regency to form ‘Mandau Regency’ has yet to be fulfilled. Through the articulation of ‘Mandau Regency’, the idea about a new regency that is separate from Bengkalis has risen in the minds of the Mandau people. This idea is in line with the articulation that requires Mandau to stay within Bengkalis according to the ‘native Malay population’. This contestation occurs in the middle of a decentralisation design within the arena of authority, which is called governmentality by Foucault. Here, we find that organisers in Jakarta still decide the fate of the Mandau people; however, this must be done through cooperating with local organisers in Riau. The idea of ‘Mandau Regency’ will continue to exist together with new articulations of cultural identities.
