Wiring the New Order: Indonesian Village Electrification and Patrimonial Technopolitics (1966–1998)

While Indonesia’s New Order government frequently claimed that its motivation for rural electrification was the improvement of villagers’ welfare, the motivation was also political. It sought to convince villagers to vote for GOLKAR in the general elections. In addition, President Soeharto used electrification inauguration ceremonies to create a sense of Indonesia as a rapidly developing society with himself at the helm directing the country’s development. As a result, his political support in the countryside increased, a factor that helped him stay in power for thirty-two years. Although the State Electricity Company disliked the New Order’s patrimonial technopolitics, it continued to electrify the nation, as it was convinced of the socio-economic benefits of village electrification.