West Sumatra's unique form of administration
West Sumatra's unique form of administration
Nagari, an administrative system equal to the kelurahan (village) in other provinces, is unique to West Sumatra. The territory of a nagari consists of several jorong or desa (sub-villages) and is headed by a Kepala Nagari or Wali Nagari, who must run for election every five years and is limited to just two terms.
Originally, the nagari was an autonomous and independent administrative system with little intervention from higher levels of power.
The uniqueness of different nagari can be traced to a diversity in dialects, customary laws, dress and marriage arrangements, but the differences are not so huge that residents of one nagari, for example, cannot understand the dialect of residents of another nagari, thus alleviating communication problems.
The apparatus of a nagari consists of a Wali Nagari (the executive), the Kerapatan Adat Nagari (the legislative branch) and its staff members, and the judiciary. Members of the legislative branch comprise three pillars, known as the tigo tungku sajarangan (the three stoves at the hearth). They are ninik mamak (head of the clans), alim ulama (religious scholars) and cadiak pandai (experienced and enlightened elders).
The legislative branches of nagari were expanded in 1983 by the West Sumatra authorities, who added representatives of youths and Bundo Kanduang (respected, most senior women in a kinship group). Bundo Kanduang is a key element in the Minangkabau matrilineal culture, the largest matrilineal group in the world.
In West Sumatra the role of women is crucial, as all communal property is inherited and owned by women in line with matrilineal tradition, but men play a pivotal role in public affairs.
The dispersion of the Minang, known for their tradition of merantau (moving to other areas of the country and abroad temporarily or to stay and seek knowledge, experience and commercial success in life), according to experts, has roots in the ownership of communal property and a limited amount of land that can be tilled for agricultural purposes.
According to estimates, about four million people from West Sumatra reside outside the province, working as merchants, businesspeople, professionals and owners of the famous Padang- style restaurants, which have spread all across Indonesia.
The nagari administrative system had undergone several changes in the past, emerging from each change with less authority. The most significant change was in 1983, when the provincial administration changed 543 nagari into 406 kelurahan (subdistricts) and 3,133 desa (villages) in line with Jakarta's policy to nationalize and bring into uniformity every level of administration.
The abolition of the nagari was a great loss to West Sumatra because it destroyed the cohesion of a people who had lived together in one area for generations in a holistic structure. However, it was beneficial in terms of the amount of money received by each village from the central government, Rp 20 million (US$2,270) annually in presidential funds.
-- Ardimas Sasdi