Decentralization: Proliferation of Territories in Musi Rawas Regency, Indonesia

Formation of new autonomous regions are meant to promote effective governance, by reducing the span of control of the previous more extensive area, improving the quality of public services, increasing the wealth of the local people, setting the fiscal balance between central and local government, increasing employment and capital inflow. However, the formation process of North MusiRawas as a new autonomous region took 11 years since proposed in 2002 until signed by the central government in 2013. This paper argues that the factors behind the long delay were mainly political factors, instead of administrative. Administrate, the region is eligible to be established as a new autonomous region. This study uses the NVivo Program as a tool for conducting primary and secondary data analyzed from direct interviews, meeting results and statements from related parties. From the research results obtained that the political process, however, involves a series of events in its history that generated constraints for establishing North MusiRawas as a new autonomous region. The historical facts include leadership contest between Governor of South Sumatera and Regent of MusiRawas, conflict over control of the natural gas resource in Suban 4, central government's moratorium policy to new autonomous region formation, leadership change, and internal conflict within the social movement to demand autonomy among local people. It argued in this paper that absence of political network and lack of organization of social mobility to demand freedom allows the recurring events that created constraints to the political process of establishing North MusiRawas as a new regency. The absence of political network to elites in the regional and national levels complicate the political communication to pursue autonomy. It explains why the conflict between Governor and Regent can halt the proposal. Weak organization of social movement allowed internal strife and complicated the resource mobilization to achieve the political goal.