Cirebon prince warns West Java of separation

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Increasing momentum to turn Cirebon into a separate province was given a boost when the Sultan of Cirebon warned the West Java administration that its failure to improve the social welfare of local people has had special resonance during an era of regional autonomy.

Cirebon Prince Arief Natadiningrat gave the official warning during a meeting with Eko Santosa, chairman of the West Java provincial legislative council, here on Monday.

Arief said that he was conveying the aspirations of the majority of people in Cirebon, Indramayu, Madjalengka and Kuningan, adding that the four regencies will forge a new province if the West Java officials do not begin paying attention to the regional social problems.

"We will be waiting for changes until the end of this year ... If we see no progress, it will likely be better for us to form a new province to make the power closer to the people," he said.

The idea of a separate Cirebon province emerged early last year when provincial administration officials failed to fund economic development programs and tackle social problems such as illiteracy and poverty, prevalent in the four regencies.

Besides the economic reasons, people in the four regencies have also been keenly aware of their cultural differences with the predominantly Sundanese West Java.

Arief, who is also chairman of the Cirebon Royal Foundation, said that a majority of the people and members of the local elite in the regencies have also been disappointed with the provincial and central government, which they said has paid less attention to the region over the last four decades.

"Despite the regional autonomy's implementation, the power has been concentrated in the central government and the provincial administration," he said. "The four regencies have no authority to make priorities in the development programs to catch up with other regencies."

He added that the four regencies were rich in natural resources, especially gas and oil deposits, but that a majority of people in the region were still living in poverty, and had not even graduated from elementary school.

"It is ironic that we are still supplying eggs to other regencies -- the most important thing is that we have been treated unfairly, and we won't to continue to live under such a discrimination," he said.

Arief called on the provincial administration to launch programs to immediately eradicate the poverty, and fight against prevalent illiteracy in an endeavor to lift the employment level, and improve overall social welfare.

The government, he added, should carry out an economic development program oriented at empowering indigenous people to avoid problems stemming from racism in the region.

The prince also proposed an allocation of Rp 250 million for Cirebon to design its own development programs, and make a city plan for the municipality.

Eka pledged to bring these problems to the fore in another discussion between the legislature and the provincial administration. He said he would encourage the governor to pay more attention to the four regencies in the future.

"Politically, we receive the four regencies' aspirations but give an adequate time for us to repair all wrong development policies made the previous administrations," he said.