The Security Dimension and the Formation of Social Exclusion in the Border of Belu Regency, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/csp.2020.4.1.088

Abstract

Security is a key dimension of any Indonesian borderland development program. Apart from security, the Indonesian military must attend to sociopolitical requirements. The area of Belu Regency borderland is a case in point where many East Timorese refugees or “new citizens” have been settled. Sociopolitical tasks of the military are to assist the local government in overcoming any problems of the refugees. This article demonstrates a connection between the security dimension and social exclusion in the border area of Belu. The question of this study is how the security issue is related to social exclusion and how it takes place. The qualitative method is deployed to collect data, through indepth interview with government and military institution informants, as well as at community levels, together with secondary data. The result of the study shows that the local government has used the Indonesian military to limit the movement and choices of these refugees, and to intimidate them. Therefore, the role of the institution contributes to initial stages of social exclusion, such as limiting the movement of the new citizens and the locals in terms of land and housing access, through intimidation, and limiting any signs of political aspirations.

Author Biography

Farid Abud Alkatiri, Universitas Muhammadiyah Kupang, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia

Farid Abud Alkatiri is a lecturer at Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Science, University of Muhammadiyah Kupang since February 2019. He received the Bachelor of Arts (International Studies) in 2006 from Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.  Besides that, he also received Master of Arts (Social Development) from department of Sociology, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2010. He completed his doctoral studies from department of Sociology, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia. His research interests are social capital, social exclusion, land access, migration, community development, and mining conflict. Besides teaching at the university, he has actively been involving in several research projects with a social enterprise, called A+ CSR Indonesia, conducting various research projects around Indonesian territory on the issues of corporate social responsibility, social impact assessment, community development program, state-corporate-community relations. Main publications: Alkatiri, FA. (2018). Land Exclusion of the Former East Timorese Refugees in Belu Regency, West Timor. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 9 (6), 118-127; Alkatiri, FA. (2018). Akses Tanah dan Kendala Legitimasi Eks-Pengungsi Timor Timur di Kabupaten Belu. Jurnal Kawistara, 8 (1), 22-32.

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Published
2020-04-10
How to Cite
Alkatiri, F. (2020). The Security Dimension and the Formation of Social Exclusion in the Border of Belu Regency, Indonesia. Changing Societies & Personalities, 4(1), 31–52. doi:10.15826/csp.2020.4.1.088
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Vol. 4, No. 1 (2020)
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Articles