Sundanese Day and the Potential Marginalisation of West Javanese Peripheral Cultures
West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has enacted Provincial Regulation (Pergub) West Java No. 13 of 2026 concerning the establishment of Sundanese Day (Hari Tatar Sunda).
The peak event took place in Bandung on Saturday, 16 May 2026, titled the Kirab Budaya Milangkala Tatar Sunda cultural procession. During the event, Governor Mulyadi (known by his initials KDM) escorted the Mahkota Binokasih crown from Taman Kiara Artha Park along Jakarta Street and Supratman Street, concluding at the Gedung Sate building, covering approximately 3.5 kilometres. The event, which ran from afternoon to evening, drew thousands of participants.
This initiative has serious implications for the peripheral cultures of West Java. Consider the Dermayu, Cirebon, and Melayu-Betawi cultures in Bekasi. Given West Java’s cultural complexity, public officials must handle this matter with wisdom.
West Java possesses significant cultural diversity. However, the cultures and regional languages spoken by communities in Indramayu and Cirebon are often classified simply as Sundanese merely because these regions fall within West Java Province. Yet cultural activists such as Supali Kasim from Indramayu assert that Indramayu has its own Dermayu regional language, and Cirebon has its distinct Cirebon regional language.
The governor himself acknowledged this complexity during the second West Java gubernatorial debate in Cirebon on Saturday, 16 November 2024, as recorded by KompasTV on YouTube. However, after becoming governor, Mulyadi signed Provincial Regulation No. 13 of 2026 in Bandung on 24 April 2026 establishing Sundanese Day. The regulation frames Sundanese culture as a unifying force for West Java society, associating it with the identity and character of the province’s residents.
The question arises: where is the cultural complexity that the governor previously championed?
The regulation also references Law No. 23 of 2014 concerning Regional Government as its legal foundation.