ABSTRACT: Like other social conflicts in various areas in Indonesia, the primordial
issues that relate to religion and ethnicity frequently become dominant
explanations for the prolonged conflict during the redistricting process and the
changing of the Morowali district’s capital in 2001-2010. Through the modified
securitization theory, this study offers an alternative understanding beside the
ethnic and religious-based explanations.
In the case of the changing of the Morowali district’s capital, this study
demonstrates that the Securitizing Actors (SA) successfully securitize the logic of
threat. Meanwhile, the Functional Actors (FA) also mobilize cultural issues,
mainly religious and ethnic-based issues, that result in the emergence of social
movement in the grass root level. This movement emerges in both groups of
society, the Islam-based Bungku and the Christian-based Mori. Such movements
are triggered by the SA’s efforts in securitizing the case of the changing of the
Morowali’s capital as merely a religious-based ethnic conflict. This cultural
conflict is subsequently framed and constructed by the Functional Actors to be the
bigger social conflict.
Unlike the previous case, the Securitizing Actors are unable to create social
conflict and movement in the case of redistricting the Morowali district. This
failure is determined by two factors. First, the Bungku community has satisfied
since the local elites have attained their political objectives and interests by
localizing the Bungku community as their political basis. Second, the struggle of
the local elites of the Kolonodale community takes place within their own
community so that they are able to prevent the more destructive conflict.
In order to gain their support, the local elites often launch various ethnic
and religious-based issues. This cultural issue is essential to be constructed as
social and sectarian conflict in creating radical and fanatical supports. However,
this conflict is basically determined by the transactional practices among actors to
win the struggle for power in legislative election, the Central Sulawesi Governor
election, as well as the Morowali Head of District election.
This study argues that the Barry Buzan’s thesis that states that
securitization of the cultural issues (logic of threat) through the construction of
social conflict as a better way to set up common consciousness and to gain
massive support (reference object) is not completely true. The conflict of the local
elites in the case of redistricting the Morowali district obviously shows a different
picture. The political struggle in this district is rather colored by the politics of
transactions.
INTISARI: Sebagaimana konflik-konflik sosial lain di Indonesia, isu primordial yang
berbasis agama dan etnis kerap menjadi penjelasan dominan bagi serangkaian
konflik yang terjadi selama proses pemekaran dan pemindahan ibu kota
Kabupaten Morowali pada 2001-2010. Dengan menggunakan teori sekuritisasi
yang dimodifikasi, studi ini berusaha keluar dari logika dominan yang berbasis
etnis dan agama.
Dalam kasus pemindahan ibu kota, studi ini menunjukkan bahwa pada
satu sisi aktor-aktor sekuritisasi (Securitizing Actors, SA) berhasil
mensekuritisasi logika ancaman (logic of threat), sementara pada sisi lain aktoraktor
fungsional (Functional Actors, FA) memobilisasi isu-isu kultural, terutama
agama dan etnis,
