Political trauma of Uleebalang descendants over past conflict in the city of Lhokseumawe, Aceh

Abstract

The history of social revolution in Aceh is not concluded with the arrests and killings of the prominent figures of the “rebellion” through the people’s judiciary. In the core of it, there existed the confiscation of property and land, the expulsion of families from the region, the forced marriages of Uleebalang widows, and the stripping of royal titles from their names. This article depicts the reality of their community identity in the city of Lhokseumawe, Aceh, Indonesia, aftermath the 1945–1957 Acehnese conflict. Historiographical arguments about the “Cumbok affair” were dominated by elitist views which did not provide equal opportunities for the losing parties in political contestation at the time. This particular study applies an ethnographic method in its research process. Observations, in-depth interviews and document handling were implemented to collect data about the Uleebalang descendants’ decision to avoid politics and to stay aloof in government positions due to past historical trauma. To obtain a more comprehensive data, this study ascertained that the feud between the ulema and the Uleebalangs was caused by a disappointment coming from the ulema when some of the Uleebalangs acknowledged the Dutch sovereignty over Aceh. This prolonged conflict was recently considered one of the social phenomena that escalated a social revolution in Acehnese society. This revolution has caused a social change, where the social status of the Uleebalangs shifted due to the abolishment of the Uleebalangan institution after the bloody incident.