Legislator: Changing West Java's Name to Sunda Province Requires Legal Amendment

A member of the House of Representatives Commission II, Ujang Bey, has responded to the emerging discourse on changing the name of West Java Province to Sunda Province. Ujang Bey stated that any change to a province’s name must be carried out through a legislative amendment process. “As a resident of West Java, and moreover my name is very Sundanese, I see this as part of the aspirations of the West Java community. It is certainly permissible and I appreciate it,” Ujang Bey told reporters on Wednesday (8/7/2026). The legislator from the West Java electoral district said the most important thing is to maintain Sundanese cultural identity. He also highlighted the importance of local Sundanese wisdom, such as silih asah, silih asih, silih asuh and silih wawangi. “But what is most important, in my opinion, is how the positive Sundanese identity in West Java society must be safeguarded and preserved, such as the culture of mutual cooperation (sabilulungan) in the community,” Ujang Bey said. “All of this is embodied in the attitudes of silih asah, silih asuh, silih asih and silih wawangi. Because the essence of these is aimed at maintaining unity and integrity,” he added. He stressed that any change to a province’s name must comply with the applicable laws and regulations. According to him, changing a province’s name requires a lengthy process and must receive attention from the central government. “Whether it is urgent or not will be determined later by the central government (Ministry of Home Affairs). Because changing a province’s name must also be done through a process of amending the law, and that requires a process; there are many factors that the central government must consider,” he said. Previously, the Speaker of the West Java DPRD, Buky Wibawa, asserted that no approval has been granted regarding the discourse on changing the name of West Java Province to Sunda Province. Buky said the proposal has only been agreed to be discussed at the DPRD level. “Many have interpreted this as the DPRD agreeing. In my view, the level of agreement is not there yet. The agreement is to discuss it, not to change it. That is where the misunderstanding lies. People think, ‘Oh, the DPRD has agreed to change it,’ so it has become a commotion,” Buky said, as quoted by detikJabar on Monday (6/7). He stated that discussions on the proposal are still at an early stage. He even admitted that he has not yet studied the academic paper prepared by the proposing team. “I have not read the academic paper submitted by the team that initiated this. But for me personally, what needs to be resolved if it is to move towards a name change is the sociological issue,” said Buky.