Governor Dedi Mulyadi Rejects Proposal to Rename West Java as Tatar Sunda Province
West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi and Deputy Speaker of the West Java Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) Ono Surono have separately expressed the same view that there is no need to change the province’s name to Tatar Sunda, Sunda, or Pasundan.
Governor Dedi Mulyadi confirmed that the provincial government will not make any name change. According to him, the idea of changing the name to Tatar Sunda is purely a fabrication.
‘We emphasise that someone has been floating a narrative on social media about changing the name of West Java to Tatar Sunda. I say that the entire series of events is a fabrication by others,’ Dedi said on his Instagram account on Wednesday (8/7).
‘The West Java Provincial Government will remain focused on working, not on dealing with a name change. The name remains West Java,’ added the Gerindra Party politician.
Separately, Ono, who also represents the northern coastal electoral districts of Cirebon and Indramayu, stated that so far there has been no official proposal for a name change submitted by the West Java DPRD or the Governor.
‘I reiterate that there is no official proposal, either from the Governor of West Java or from the West Java DPRD regarding this matter,’ Ono said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to Ono, if a study on the proposed name change were to be conducted properly, the discussion would need to consider various aspects, ranging from juridical, historical, sociological, and cultural factors to the economic impact.
This is especially important as West Java is a province with cultural diversity, including Sundanese, Betawi, Cirebon, and Indramayu communities.
In his statement, Ono explained that the discourse on the name change originated from a letter submitted by the West Java Province Name Change Study Community on 6 January 2025 to the Speaker of the West Java DPRD, Buky Wibawa.
The proposal was then followed up through a hearing on 22 May 2025.
As a result, the DPRD Speaker issued an official memo to Commission I of the West Java DPRD to conduct an initial assessment of the aspiration in accordance with the applicable mechanism.
Subsequently, Commission I, together with representatives of the West Java Provincial Government, held another hearing with the proposing community to delve deeper into the material presented.
The outcome was merely an agreement to conduct a study, not an approval to change the name of West Java Province.
‘Almost the majority of factions in the council only agreed to follow up with a study. So, it is not a direct approval to change the name of West Java Province, but an agreement to conduct a more in-depth and comprehensive study,’ stressed Ono, who is also the Chairman of the West Java PDIP Regional Leadership Council.