How powerful are village heads? Clientelism in the reform era of Indonesia’s democracy

Democratization in Indonesia is a process that facilitated significant changes at both the national and local levels. Therefore, this research provided an in-depth exploration of the role of village heads during the Indonesian Reform era and analyzed their efforts to perpetuate power. To gain a comprehensive understanding, an extensive library research, intensive field observations, and in-depth interviews were conducted in Subang Regency, West Java. This exploration revealed several key points. Firstly, village heads used government assistance as a means to perpetuate power. Secondly, government assistance not only served as a tool to maintain loyalty but also as a means of influencing voting choices. As a result, village heads became a crucial “electoral asset” for political elites at the district and central levels. Thirdly, village heads did not immediately stop assisting even when they did not support a particular elected regent candidate. They still received government support due to their political network. Theoretically, it was changed the landscape of the patronages from lower scale to the upper of political patronages election in Indonesia and practically also changed the political behavior and electoral perception.