Nationalism, Islam, and Political Influence. The Ethics of the Enterprises in Banten (Indonesia)

Abstract

In Banten (Indonesia), economy and politics sectors are strongly linked to informal authority networks. In these networks, the jawara figure plays a key role, by occupying an influent position and by acting as an intermediary between Bantenese people and the political institutions. The jawara is not only a person who has traditional martial arts skills, but he also deals with main business and political activities. This article describes the recent evolutions of jawara, from martial artists and intermediaries, to political leaders and dominant economical actors. The study is focused on two prominent jawara figures of Banten: Haji Chasan Sochib and Haji Embay Mulya Syarif. Chasan was a strongman who dominated both politics and economics for almost forty years since the beginning of the General Suharto’s regime. On his hand, Embay is a former Chasan’s right-hand who later became one of Chasan’s main rivals. Both share the same status as jawara but they distinguish themselves by promoting different ideologies in business, politics and social activities. As a result, the comparison can highlight the process of evolution of the political and development context that conditions the ethical discourse of the main businessmen of Banten.

Keywords

• ethics
• enterprise
• Banten
• Islam
• political influence