PDIP supports formation of Cirebon province

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.