PDIP supports formation of Cirebon province
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), a major faction in the Cirebon, Majalengka and Indramayu regency legislatures, gave its full support for the proposed establishment of the new province of Cirebon, comprising several regencies, citing cultural, economic and geographic reasons.
Suryana, chairman of the PDI Perjuangan chapter in Cirebon, said his party fully supported the proposed establishment of Cirebon province because the region that covered Karawang, Indramayu, Kuningan, Ciamis and Cirebon was very different to the Sundanese area of West Java and possessed the economic potential to improve the social welfare of the local people.
"From an economic and administrative point of view, Cirebon is more prepared than Banten, Gorontalo and Bangka-Belitung to become an independent province," he told The Jakarta Post here on Monday.
"Political support continues to pour in for the proposed new province from both the executive body and the legislature in Cirebon, Indramayu, Majalengka and Ciamis," added Suryana, who is also chairman of the Cirebon regency legislative council.
The proposal for the formation of the new province came from the Sultan of Cirebon, Maulana Pakuningrat, last month in response to the increasing number of calls for West Java to become Pasundan province.
Iwan Hendrawan, chairman of Indramayu legislative council, said authorities in Cirebon, Indramayu, Karawang, Ciamis and Majalengka had held several talks to discuss preliminary preparations before the proposal was lodged to the central government and the House of Representatives.
"We are making preliminary preparations and we want the proposal to be lodged with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the House early next year," he said.
He said the local political elite in the regencies were preparing political, cultural, economic, geographic and administrative data to support the proposal, while circulating the idea among local people.
Prince Arief of the Cirebon sultanate reiterated that Cirebon was culturally and historically different to Sundanese West Java.
"The culture of Cirebon is very different to Sundanese culture. It would be better for Karawang, Indramayu, Cirebon, Kuningan, Majalengka, Subang and Ciamis to become sole provinces," he said.
He said that it would be better for the Sundanese people to change the name of their province from West Java to Pasundan, which covers Bandung, Sukabumi, Sumedang, Cianjur, Garut and Bogor following the development of Banten Province last year.
"The transformation of West Java into three provinces will benefit the local people and their own administration because it will enable the local government to improve public services," he said.