Puncak Andalas: Functional Regions, Territorial Coalitions, and the Unlikely Story of One Would-be Province

Indonesia's decentralization has included a significant remapping of the geography of politics and administration via the creation of new administrative units (pemekaran). Although the stated goals of creating new regions are to improve efficiency in service provision and to increase participation in government, many new regions have been driven by elite interests. This essay examines a crucial factor contributing to the success or failure of campaigns to create new regions (regional identity) and discusses a unique case in which a coalition of regional elites from several provinces on Sumatra have come together to support the creation of a new province, to be known as Puncak Andalas.