Sidkon Djampi: Changing West Java's Name Must Follow Constitutional Mechanisms

A member of the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), Sidkon Djampi, has emphasised that the discourse on changing the name of West Java Province or the formation of a New Autonomous Region (DOB) must be pursued through constitutional mechanisms in accordance with statutory regulations. He therefore urged all parties to understand that the process cannot be carried out instantly. “This is a lengthy process. There are bureaucratic and regulatory stages that must be passed according to the applicable rules,” Sidkon said on Tuesday (7/7/26). According to him, the aspirations developing within the community, including the proposal to change the province’s name put forward by several Sundanese figures or Inohong Kesundaan, are part of the democratic dynamic that should be respected. These aspirations were born from a desire to strengthen the identity and historical values of the West Java community. However, Sidkon stressed that these aspirations must be built through a bottom-up mechanism. The process must begin with support from district and city governments along with their respective DPRDs, and obtain legitimacy from various elements of society, including the sultanates that have historical and cultural links to West Java. “If it is truly a community aspiration, the process must start from the bottom. After there is an agreement at the local level, it is then submitted to the Provincial Government and the West Java DPRD to be discussed through a Special Committee, both across factions and through Commission I,” he stated. Subsequently, the results of the provincial-level discussions must receive joint approval from the DPRD and the governor through a plenary session before being proposed to the central government. At the national level, the proposal must still undergo deliberations at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives, and the Regional Representative Council. He explained that changing the province’s name, including potential proposals such as Pasundan, Sunda, or Priangan Province, ultimately requires a change in the legal basis in the form of a law. “Because the legal product is a law, changing the name of a region must also be done through the creation or amendment of a law. That is why the process is not simple and takes time,” he said.