Rival faction crowns sultan to replace Pakoeboewono XII

Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post/Surakarta

Prince Hangabehi was crowned Sultan of Surakarta on Friday at Surakarta Palace, succeeding his late father, Pakoeboewono XII, marred by a controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the succession.

High-ranking government officials were absent from the ceremony in Surakarta, Central Java, which has been the site of a power struggle between Hangabehi and Tejowulan, a half-brother who was crowned Surakarta sultan two weeks earlier.

Friday's crowning ceremony was held amid high tension, and hundreds of security personnel -- selected from among members of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and youth group Pemuda Pancasila (PP) -- were on the alert in every corner of the palace.

The PDI-P and PP belong to the Hangabehi camp, which is backed by Princess Moertiyah, an outspoken PDI-P legislator.

Also on the scene were hundreds of policemen, who were deployed to anticipate a possible clash during the crowning ceremony between the supporters of the two princes.

The ceremony proceeded without incident as Hangabehi, the eldest son of the late sultan, who died in June, climbed the stairs to the central Sitihinggil building in the palace compound.

Hangabehi vowed to protect the people of Surakarta and promote people's welfare, and was crowned as Sultan of Surakarta.

While hundreds of guests attended the ceremony, none were prominent government figures, although palace officials had boasted earlier that distinguished guests would be present.

Tejowulan -- who was crowned two weeks ago outside the royal compound, which was then under the control of Hangabehi's supporters -- and his sympathizers within Surakarta Palace were not to be seen.

Many regret the power struggle in Surakarta, including Merle Calvin Ricklefs, a University of Melbourne historian, who wrote in an-email to The Jakarta Post that a respected mediator needed to be appointed to bring the conflict to an end so as to preserve the integrity of Surakarta Palace in the eyes of its people.

A senior Surakarta Palace official, Prince Haryomataram, concurred, saying the government had to step in.

The bitter feud arose when Pakoeboewono XII died without naming his legitimate successor.

Hangabehi claimed his right to the throne as the eldest son, but was hotly contested by Tejowulan and other members of the royal family, who said that Hangabehi was not credible and lacked integrity, and was thus unfit to be sultan.