Banten province?

Banten province?

From Rakyat Merdeka

There are intensified demands in the Banten community to
separate from West Java province. The people of the regency have
become more aggressive in stating their aims; the Forum of the
Bantenese Students Movement (Forban) warned the government,
during a demonstration held at the House of Representatives on
Dec. 7, 1999, that "Banten must be made a province in the year
2000 at the latest" (Rakyat Merdeka, Dec. 8)

Indeed, everybody has the right to express oneself. However,
for Banten to become a province many factors and aspects must be
taken into account -- its geographical setting, judicial status,
sociological, cultural as well as historical background, etc.
The negative implications for the West Java community also must
be considered.

Cirebon regency once wanted to become a province. In course of
time, the demand receded and is no longer heard.

Former minister of population and environment Dr. Emil Salim
had a concept that Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi (BOTABEK) would be
transformed into a self-administered region, with a governor
possessing the ministerial capacity as its head. It would mean
that the BOTABEK region was no longer part of West Java province.
The concept was not realized. The more realistic idea was to
include the BOTABEK region in the Jakarta metropolitan
administration.

Should all these separatist ideas become a reality what would
be left for West Java province? The province would dissolve. How
tragic!

If the past authoritarian-style of the central government
(i.e. a product of president Soeharto's regime) is behind the
idea of separation, Bantenese elders may hold a dialog and
deliberate on the matters. They must not keep silent. Silence is
not always golden.

MUSTAFFA RIDWAN

Cirebon, West Java