In August 2006, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) received a\nMinangkabau customary title. The title, Yang Dipatuan Maharajo Pamuncak\nSari Alam, was reportedly bestowed by the Lembaga Kerapatan Adat Alam\nMinangkabau (LKAAM), a customary institution whose establishment in the\nearly New Order era was midwifed by military figures and a key supporter\nof the ruling party, Golkar.<\/p>\n
The practice of granting customary titles to outsiders is not new. In\nthe 1950s, there was a plan to award the title of Bundo Kandung to\nthen-First Lady Fatmawati. The plan was scrapped after A.A. Navis\nsuccessfully convinced the military that the title originated from a\nmythical figure in the Kaba Cindua Mato story, who became pregnant after\ndrinking coconut water. While normal in mythical logic, such an\nextraordinary pregnancy was deemed inappropriate for the First Lady.<\/p>\n
Customary organisations in West Sumatra have long been accustomed to\nbestowing titles upon state officials. Records show titles have been\ngiven to figures such as Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Taufik Kiemas, Sri Sultan\nHamengku Buwono X, Surya Paloh, and Anwar Nasution. This raises the\nquestion of why these titles are so important to the nation\u2019s officials\nand businesspeople.<\/p>\n
For Minangkabau men, a customary title is a given. A traditional\nsaying states, \u2018small by name, big by title\u2019. Every married man is given\na title, announced during a simple wedding ceremony, as recognition of\nhis adulthood and his right to participate in clan deliberations. The\ntitle is a communal inheritance, not personal property. Upon death, it\nreturns to the clan. Since every Minangkabau belongs to a clan, every\nadult male has a title, making it unremarkable within the society\nitself.<\/p>\n
A title functions like an address, valid only if it points to the\nright place. Recognition depends on the holder\u2019s ability to fulfil the\nmandate implied by the title. If they fail, the title becomes\nmeaningless, even a burden and a source of ridicule. The egalitarian\nMinangkabau society judges people pragmatically based on their function.\nA clever person is respected for providing solutions, a wealthy person\nfor being a source of help in times of difficulty. A title holder who\nfails to meet expectations is judged harshly. Society enforces its own\nlaw, forgetting the old title and bestowing a new, more fitting one. For\ninstance, a penghulu who prioritised catching and selling snakes over\nhis duties was mockingly called Datuk Gelung, while another who acted as\nan agent for an illegal lottery was dubbed Datuk Togel.<\/p>\n
In reality, the ideals embedded in titles are often impossibly high.\nOne might be titled \u2018Datuk Rangkayo di Langit\u2019 (Rich Lord in the Sky)\nwhile struggling on earth, or \u2018Sutan Menjinjing Bumi\u2019 (Sutan Who Carries\nthe Earth) despite having an amputated hand. Some bearers become famous\nfor roles unrelated to their title, like the scholar HAMKA, known more\nfor his writings than his title Datuk Indomo, or M. Natsir, a renowned\nthinker rather than Datuk Sinaro Panjang. Conversely, the revolutionary\nTan Malaka is better known by his title than his birth name,\nIbrahim.<\/p>\n
Since the 1980s, however, there has been a trend of bureaucrats and\nbusinesspeople in West Sumatra hunting for customary titles,\nparticularly that of Datuk. This pursuit intensifies ahead of general or\nregional elections, with newspapers filling with congratulatory\nadvertisements for newly inaugurated title holders. While some titles\nare granted along family lines, the phenomenon points to a new form of\nfeudalism, where titles are sought for prestige and political gain\nrather than earned through communal responsibility.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/feudalism-in-an-egalitarian-nation-1784210032", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }