Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences 2018 May; 12(5): pages 12-16 DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2018.12.5.4 Research Article AENSI Publications Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences ISSN: 1991-8178, EISSN: 2309-8414 The Impact of Resettlement on Livelihood of the Bajo Tribe Community (A Case in Tomini Bay, Indonesia) Muhammad Obie Department of Sociology, State Islamic University of Sultan Amai Gorontalo, Indonesia Correspondence Author: Muhammad Obie, Department of Sociology, State Islamic University of Sultan Amai Gorontalo, Gelatik Street No. 1, Kota Gorontalo-Indonesia. E-mail: obiclimber@gmail.com Received date: 23 March 2018, Accepted date: 25 April 2018, Online date: 25 May 2018 Copyright: © 2018 Muhammad Obie. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Key words: Resettlement, Livelihood, Bajo Tribe, Community, Tomini bay INTRODUCTION The new order government, after overthrowing the old order, built a project to control economic and political stability. In the course of time, the new order project was quite successful, although in fact the resistance, especially the civilian community, never stopped (Maunati, 2004). One such control model was the resettlement program. The resettlement program had accompanied the new order's developmental mission since the launch of the five-year developmental plan. This policy began to be implemented in 1972/73 with a view to improve the living and well-being of rural and backward village communities due to natural conditions, difficult communications and livelihoods still moving around. The resettlement approach designed in such a way as to exclude locally long-lasting communities fostering social, cultural, and economic integration with their natural environment, had created instability and loss of economic assets for the local communities (Hoffman, 1985). Resettlement is the process of resettling residents from resettlement sites that are not appropriately assigned to new locations prepared in accordance with the development plan (Ridlo, 2001). In line with the definition, Yudohusodo and Salam (1991) stated that resettlement done to the location of settlements that designated not for housing or hazard-prone residential location. While according to the guidelines for the implementation of slum rejuvenation on state land, presidential instruction number 5 of 1990, it was mentioned that resettlement is the transfer of a residential area to another location by dismantling some or all settlements located on state land or individual land to be rebuilt with their infrastructure and environmental facilities. Resettlement in its implementation can not be separated from a number of problems. The experience of resettlement reveals that many of the problems are scattered and exploded when the location has been realized. The main idea of settlement by sending as many people as possible and at the lowest possible cost has placed a heavy burden on the backs of transmigrants during the first year, followed by the use of forcible forms of mobilization by the government (Mangoenpoerojo, 1985; Heeran, 1985). Heeran (1985) reported some tension happen on Javanese settlement from Suriname in West Sumatra, besides caused by the religious differences, in other aspects Suriname groups differed from Minangkabau. The Suriname group had further accepted western cultural aspects such as dancing, drinking alcohol, and gambling, forbidden by hard-hitting Minangkabau Muslims. These two groups formed stereotypes against each other, with more sophisticated Javanese of Suriname and knew various languages to look down on the Minangkabau people whom they regarded as backward and conservative. Settlement conflicts can also be seen in the settlement of ex-combatants in Lampung. Heeran (1985) in his study showed that the relationship between veterans and indigenous people is a constant source of conflict. The main cause is land rights. The difference with in Minangkabau is that in Lampung the Abstract The resettlement to remote communities became the new order governmental instrument to control the economic and political stability. It was designed in such a way as to exclude locally long-lasting communities fostering social, cultural, and economic integration with their natural environment, had created instability and loss of economic assets for the local communities. This research was to analyze the impact of resettlement on livelihood of the Bajo tribe community in Tomini bay. This research used the critical theory paradigm, qualitative approach, and ethnographic method. The data collection was done through indepth interview, an observation, and library research. The result of research stated that the Bajo tribe community was originally united to live on the sea surface, faced the reality of split life, along with the weakening of social capital. Similarly, indigenous institution is shaken because some of the custom figures follow the resettlement program. The Bajo tribe who followed the resettlement program lost the natural capital, sea-based livelihood after their difficult accessed to coastal and marine resources. The removal of the Bajo tribe in the resettlement program forced them to abandon their hereditary roots that were built up from generation to generation along with the coastal and marine environments. As a result, access of the Bajo tribe on coastal and marine resources eventually disrupted and even abandoned altogether. The Bajo tribe should lose its hereditary livelihood bases on coastal and marine outcomes. Meanwhile, in the depressed life on land, the Bajo tribe was forced to undergo a livelihood bases that was not its cultural roots. They are even forced to farm in unlikely smallholdings since the government-provided land for every family head is not sufficient even to produce family food. As the result they had to accept the reality of life in the shackles of poverty. They are difficult in fulfilling their daily needs since the government forces them to pursue lives that are historically not theirs. Finally, this research concluded that the resettlement program as implemented under pressure and coercion has a negative impact on the Bajo tribe community. The Bajo tribe who hereditary livelihood hangs on coastal and marine resources, the coercion of resettlement program has deprived the cultural roots of Bajo tribe attached to the coast and sea.