Cirebon to crown new sultan this month<\/p>\n
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java<\/p>\n
The royal family of Cirebon's Kanoman sultanate said on Friday it
\nwould go ahead with its plan to crown Elang Muhammad Saladin as
\nthe new sultan next month despite strong opposition from a number
\nof family members.<\/p>\n
\"The coronation of Elang Saladin Muhammad as Sultan Kanoman
\nXII will take place in late March, although several members of
\nthe royal family are opposed to it,\" said Queen Mawar Sekartina,
\na spokeswoman for the sultanate.<\/p>\n
She could not give a specific date as details were still being
\nworked out.<\/p>\n
\"We have made this decision in accordance with the last will
\nand testament (from the Kanoman XI sultan, Haji Muhammad
\nDjalaluddin),\" she added.<\/p>\n
Mawar, who is Djalaluddin's daughter, said that the coronation
\ndate in March should be on or near that day which marks 100 days
\nafter the death of her father.<\/p>\n
Before Djalaluddin passed away on Nov. 19, 2002, he wrote a
\nletter asking Elang to be enthroned as his successor, the queen
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"The letter is a mandate from the king, which must be carried
\nout. Therefore, nothing can prevent the coronation,\" she added.<\/p>\n
Mawar said the decision was achieved through discussions which
\nstarted early last month, or 40 days after the death of the
\nsultan Kanoman XI.<\/p>\n
During the discussions, many of those, who had opposed the
\nplanned swearing-in of Saladin, eventually agreed to accept the
\ndecision, she said.<\/p>\n
\"After we discussed the letter, we were able to settle the
\ndispute amicably, although there was still resistance from a
\nhandful of royal family members,\" Mawar added.<\/p>\n
The coronation ceremony will be presided over by Kanoman
\nPrince Haji Muhammad Imamuddin, who has been temporarily in
\ncharge of the administration since the death of the Kanoman XI.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 2, 2002, hundreds of royal family members staged a
\nprotest against the appointment of Saladin as the new Kanoman
\nsultan on the basis of the letter from the late Djalaluddin.<\/p>\n
The protesters said the appointment was in violation of a long
\nroyal tradition, under which only the eldest son of the sultan
\nfrom his own wife could replace him.<\/p>\n
Based on that regulation, Saladin could not be enthroned as
\nthe new sultan because he is the son of one of Djalaluddin's
\nmistresses.<\/p>\n
They said the post should be held by Prince Haji Muhammad
\nEmiruddin, the eldest son of Djalaluddin's wife.<\/p>\n
Elang Nasaruddin and Raden Kemas Muharram, both
\nrepresentatives from the opposing faction, have said the
\nappointment of the sultan on the basis of such a testament letter
\nwould be \"illogical\", while adding that Djalaluddin knew
\nprecisely about the procedures to name his successor.<\/p>\n
The protesters said they suspect the letter was a fake.<\/p>\n
\"We strongly believe that the late sultan was aware of the
\nissuance of such a testament letter is not consistent with the
\nroyal tradition. We doubt that he would use such a mechanism. We
\nalso suspect that certain members of the royal family are trying
\nto manipulate and shatter the royal tradition,\" Nasaruddin said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cirebon-to-crown-new-sultan-this-month-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}