national cultural homogenization, a

national cultural homogenization, as local traditions were seen as backward traits to be overcome by modernization. As explained by Aspinall, “A mélange of ideas were associated with support for modernisasi, but the
essential message was that the establishment of the New Order represented an
historic opportunity to overcome ‘tradition’, ‘backwardness’, ‘primordialism’,
and ‘feudalism’ in all spheres…For the Indonesian state in its modernizing mode,
tradition was identified with the local and ‘excessive regionalism’ was thus
included among the undesirable and backward traits to be overcome by
modernization…Despite continued recognition of diversity, a significant thrust of
New Order cultural policy was thus homogenizing, through such vehicles as
national language policy and the education system. Attitudes to local tradition
were brought into starkest relief by treatment of officially designated ‘isolated
tribes’ (suku terasing) who were to be dibina (guided), dimukimkan (housed) and
otherwise transformed into fitting participants in the national project.” (Aspinall
2003, 133) Economic development is perceived as the channel through which the nation can achieve the ideal ‘modern’ nation. It became the crucial legitimating device for the New Order regime. The delivery of sustained economic development to broad sectors of Indonesian society contributed fundamentally to the longevity and legitimacy of the New Order regime. “Development became the means to introduce uniformities both of a material and
a cultural nature. The President [Suharto] took the title of Bapak Pembangunan
(Father of Development), associated with the concept of progress (maju) towards
a clean, orderly, and “modern” society….Development became the means of
legitimization for the New Order as it demonstrated the ability of the central
government to bring material benefits to its subject.” (Guiness quoted in Barber
1997) Following the “programmatic nationalism” argument, we can suggest that the Indonesian state used aspiration to economic development, the promise of welfare and prosperity as participating in the bargain for citizens’ loyalty to the state and their integration in the state’s development project. Thus, the nation is constructed as a vehicle for delivering to its people noble goals, in this case economic development, welfare, and prosperity. From the above illustration, I argue that development is not only a legitimating tool for the New Order regime, it also plays an important role in the process nation-building. The Indonesian nation is projected and constructed toward an aspiration of modern and