The transmigration program (Indonesian: transmigrasi, from Dutch, transmigratie) was an initiative of the Dutch colonial government and later continued by the Indonesian government to move landless people from densely populated areas of Indonesia to less populous areas of the country.[1] This involved moving people permanently from the island of Java, but also to a lesser extent from Bali and Madura to less densely populated areas including Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua. The program is currently coordinated by Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration.
The stated purpose of this program was to reduce the considerable poverty and overpopulation on Java, to provide opportunities for hard-working poor people, and to provide a workforce to utilize better the natural resources of the outer islands. The program, however, has been controversial as fears from native populations of "Javanization" and "Islamization" have strengthened separatist movements and communal violence.[2] The incomers are mostly Madurese and Javanese but also from other populated areas such as Hindu Balinese.[3]
- ^ "Govt builds transmigration museum in Lampung | the Jakarta Post". www.thejakartapost.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Anatawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Magdalena, Federico V. "Islam and the Politics of Identity". University of Hawai'i at Manoā. Center for Philippine Studies. Retrieved 26 June 2015.