West Java DPRD Denies Proposing Name Change to Tatar Sunda

The West Java Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) has confirmed that the proposal to change the name of West Java Province to Tatar Sunda did not come from the legislature. Deputy Speaker of the West Java DPRD Ono Surono explained that there has never been an official proposal from the West Java DPRD or the West Java Provincial Government to change the province’s name to Tatar Sunda, Sunda, or Pasundan. “People of West Java, I reaffirm that there is no official proposal, either from the Governor of West Java or from the West Java DPRD regarding this matter,” Ono said when confirmed in Bandung on Monday (6/7). As Coordinator of Commission I of the West Java DPRD, Ono explained that the discourse on changing the name of West Java to Tatar Sunda originated from a letter submitted by the Community for the Study of the Name Change of West Java Province on 6 January 2025 to the Speaker of the West Java DPRD, Buky Wibawa. The proposal was then followed up through a hearing on 22 May 2025. As a result, he added, the Speaker issued an official memo to Commission I to conduct an initial study of the aspiration in accordance with applicable mechanisms. Subsequently, on 14 August 2025, Commission I, together with representatives from the West Java Provincial Government, held another hearing with the proposing community to delve deeper into the submitted material. The PDI Perjuangan politician stressed that the majority stance of the factions during a recent Commission I working meeting only agreed to carry out a study, not to approve the name change of West Java Province. “Almost all factions in the council only agreed to follow up on the study. So it was not a direct agreement to change the name of West Java Province, but an agreement to conduct a more in-depth and comprehensive study in accordance with the mechanisms stipulated by the DPRD’s Rules of Procedure,” he asserted. According to Ono, if a study on the name change of West Java is conducted, its discussion must consider various aspects, ranging from juridical, historical, sociological, and cultural to economic impacts. Moreover, he added, West Java is a province with cultural diversity, including Sundanese, Betawi, and Cirebonese communities. He also stressed that the current economic conditions in the region are an important consideration, so the DPRD will not make hasty decisions. “All of this is purely a proposal from the study community. Considering our current economic conditions, which are not in good shape, especially with the threat of a budget deficit in West Java, we must be careful. I assure you that the West Java DPRD will not take steps or decisions that are detrimental to the people,” Ono said. Echoing the DPRD, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi also denied any plan to change the name of West Java to Tatar Sunda. He stressed that the discourse did not originate from the West Java Provincial Government. “The entire narrative is someone else’s fabrication. The West Java Provincial Government will remain focused on working and will not concern itself with changing the name. The name remains West Java,” said Dedi.