This paper explains the practice of bureaucracy in local government in South Kalimantan Province. The existence of bureaucracy in the government system is like a locomotive or a machine to drive services for the public. The existence of bureaucracy is presented not as an instrument of extension of political and economic interests for a group of people who are in the circle of local government. But the fact in the practice of bureaucracy in the local government of the South Kalimantan Province has been captured by local oligarchs, business elites and political party as an impact of the democratization process or local head election. The elites of the political parties as proponents in local elections and businessman as supporters of financial in the local head election process, and other interest groups, has been hijacted of the local head government. The oligarchs appear and position themselves as shadow government. The oligarchs will be controller policies strategic in the bureaucratic structure of the local government, especially related to filling or placing someone in strategic positions in the mechine bureaucracy. The filling or placement of someone in the local government bureaucracy in the strategic positions, are people who designed with a pattern of patronage or patron-client by oligarchs and local government. As a result of the patron-client pattern, the bureaucratic system in the local government is characterized a model of feudalism, patrimonialism and crony relationship. Not only that, the oligarchs dictate local government in the related of natural resources management policies and infrastructure projects with transactional pattern with the political and business crony networks. Bureaucracy no longer represent of the merit system and rational bureaucracy to realize good governance, instead the existence of bureaucracy is in the vortex of the interests of oligarchs. Bureaucracy serves loyalists and political parties rather than serving the public interest. This research was conducted at the government office of South Kalimantan Province with a descriptive qualitative research model. Data collection was carried out by in-depth interviews with government officials, government institutions, and members of the local council of the people's representative (DPRD) of South Kalimantan Province. Interviews were also conducted with local political elites, political party elites, business or business groups, mass media, NGOs, community leaders, academician from Lambung Mangkurat University and Islamic University of Kalimantan, Banjarmasin.

Keywords: Bureaucracy patrimonialism, Local oligarchs, Political party, Shadow government, South Kalimanta Province