ABSTRACT
Kalimantan underwent an administrative restructuring during the first half of the 1950s. Kalimantan was one of the host territories of the central government’s transmigration policy, an attempt at addressing the issue of overpopulation and dense population in certain areas, whereas other places possessed a sparse population. The realization of the Republik Indonesia witnessed the play of party politics during the beginnings and workings of parliamentary democracy throughout the 1950s. To a great extent, parliamentary democracy of elected governments seemed to be an alien concept to the elite as well as to the grassroots. Dayaks had shown their assertive nature in successfully lobbying for a region of their own, namely Central Kalimantan. Dayak ascendancy in the post-war decades and political assertion subsequently led to the establishment of a new region, namely Central Kalimantan, that they could recognize as their heartland and ethnic identity. As Indonesia moved into Sukarno’s Guided Democracy phase, in unprecedented fashion, the focus converged on Kalimantan.
