Constitutional Court Rejects Petition to Change South Sumatra Province Name to 'Sumatra' Spelling

Citizens Insan Kamil and Andhita Putri Maharani filed a petition with the Constitutional Court (MK) requesting that the province name be changed from ‘Sumatera Selatan’ to ‘Sumatra Selatan’. The court rejected the petition.

The ruling in case 57/PUU-XXIV/2026 was delivered at the Constitutional Court building in Central Jakarta and livestreamed on the court’s YouTube channel on Monday, 16 March 2026. The court determined that the petitioners lacked legal standing.

“In explaining their alleged violation of constitutional rights, petitioners I and II presented concrete facts they experienced as language ambassadors for South Sumatra province,” said Constitutional Court Deputy Chairman Saldi Isra.

Isra noted that both petitioners had the responsibility to promote proper and correct Indonesian language usage. He stated that the petitioners believed the difference between ‘Sumatera’ and ‘Sumatra’ in the province’s name hindered their function as language ambassadors.

“The explanation provided by petitioners I and II bears no connection to the requirement for demonstrating violation of constitutional rights. Furthermore, there is no evidence that petitioners I and II ever previously submitted this matter regarding the difference between ‘Sumatera’ and ‘Sumatra’ to the local government or to the legislature,” Isra said.

The petitioners had challenged Article 1, Paragraph (1) of the law, which defines South Sumatra Province as part of the territory of the Republic of Indonesia, established under Law No. 10 of 1948 regarding the Division of Sumatra into Three Provinces, as amended by Law No. 25 of 1959 and related implementing regulations.

The petitioners argued that ‘Sumatera’ is not a standard word in the Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI). They contended that regional names in legislation should use standard terminology.

According to the Indonesian Dictionary website of the Ministry of Education and Culture, ‘Sumatra’ refers to ‘an island in Indonesia’s western region, bordered to the north by the Bay of Bengal, to the east by the Strait of Malacca, to the south by the Sunda Strait, and to the west by the Indian Ocean’. The dictionary indicates that ‘Sumatera’ is a non-standard form of ‘Sumatra’. The petitioners subsequently requested that South Sumatra’s name be changed to ‘Sumatra Selatan’ to comply with the official dictionary.