Indonesia's Home Affairs Ministry monitors West Java name change debate

Indonesia's Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) is closely observing the public discourse surrounding the potential renaming of West Java Province to Sunda or Tatar Sunda. However, the ministry has confirmed that it has not yet received any official proposal regarding this change.

Benni Irwan, Head of Kemendagri's Information Center, stated that the ministry is currently following the developments through media reports. He emphasized that Kemendagri will only act once a formal proposal is submitted, adhering strictly to the established regulations for such processes. The ministry is awaiting the official submission from the West Java Provincial Government before proceeding further.

Meanwhile, all factions within the West Java Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) have officially given their approval to advance the proposal to change the province's name. This decision marks a significant step forward after the proposal had previously stalled in 2013, 2015, and 2020. The agreement was reached during a meeting between DPRD Commission I and various Sundanese academics, cultural figures, and historians.

Representatives from factions including Democrats, PKB, PKS, PAN, PDIP, Golkar, and PPP have expressed their agreement to move to the next legislative stage. The Gerindra and Nasdem factions indicated their support for the majority decision. Rahmat Hidayat Djati, Chairman of DPRD Commission I, noted that this was the third time the proposal was presented, but the first time with complete representation from all factions. The next steps will involve refining the academic paper and deciding whether a Special Committee (Pansus) or an internal commission review will handle the proposal. Ultimately, the name change will require final approval from the central government.