DPRD Approves Proposal to Rename West Java to Tatar Sunda
The discourse on changing the name of West Java Province to Tatar Sunda has received a positive signal from factions within the West Java DPRD. The factions will proceed with the proposal to the next legislative stage. This was decided during a hearing between Commission I of the West Java DPRD and academics, cultural figures, and Sundanese historians in Bandung on Thursday (2/7).
Chairman of Commission I of the West Java DPRD, Rahmat Hidayat Djati, revealed that the majority of factions, including the Democratic Party, PKB, PKS, PAN, PDIP, and Golkar, have expressed their approval for the name change from West Java to Tatar Sunda. Meanwhile, the Gerindra and Nasdem factions stated they would follow the ongoing process.
Rahmat explained that although the name change has been discussed several times before, this was the first meeting where all faction representatives were present and delivered their official political stance. The next step, he said, will depend on the refinement of the academic paper and the decision of the council leadership on whether to form a Special Committee (Pansus) or conduct an internal review within Commission I.
Beyond the provincial name change, the West Java DPRD is also pushing for the strengthening of local identity in various aspects of development. This includes the naming of housing estates, tourist attractions, buildings, and the numbering of prospective New Autonomous Regions (CDOB).
“Including prospective New Autonomous Regions, they should not just use cardinal directions like West Cirebon or North Sukabumi. There must be distinctive local names that reflect Sundanese identity,” Rahmat asserted. The legal framework for this policy is planned to be in the form of a Regional Regulation (Perda) or a Governor’s Regulation.
Ganjar Kurnia, a professor at Padjadjaran University and a member of the proposing review team, emphasised that the name change from West Java to Tatar Sunda holds deep historical and cultural value. Historically, the Tatar Sunda region covered a vast area, from Banten and Jakarta to Cipamali on the border with Central Java. Ganjar dismissed concerns about administrative complications, such as changing letterheads or stamps, by citing the successful renaming of Ujung Pandang to Makassar. According to him, the name change is not merely a bureaucratic matter but an effort to revive the work ethic and spirit of the community.
“If it changes to a Sundanese name, there is an ethos and a desire that as Sundanese people, we must be better than others. This is an effort to save an identity that is increasingly being marginalised,” said Ganjar.
The West Java Provincial Government stated that it has received and reviewed the academic paper on the proposed name change from various aspects, including philosophical and juridical ones. Faisal, a Young Policy Analyst at the Regional Government Bureau of the West Java Regional Secretariat, said they are now awaiting direction from regional leaders and the results of further studies by Commission I of the West Java DPRD before proceeding to the next bureaucratic stage.