State Formation in Riau Islands Province

The formation of the Riau Islands Province (RIP) in 2002 is argued to be part of a broader trend of pemekaran (blossoming) that saw the creation of seven new provinces and more than 100 new districts throughout Indonesia after the fall of the New Order.This article argues that the main motivation for these subnational movements was a combination of rational interests and cultural sentiments.In the case of RIP, rational interests involved struggles over unfair distribution of power and resources,