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Monarchs within the Republic
The Surakarta brouhaha should trigger a comprehensive review of special regions and the formation of new regions in general as practices that could undermine our democratic institutions.
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Royal soldiers walk in front of the Kamandungan gate of the Surakarta Palace during a ceremony in this undated photo. (The Jakarta Post/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
T
he sultanate city of Surakarta, also known as Solo, in Central Java, has recently become the talk of the town, not because of any great event it will host, but due to the controversy over whether it deserves the special region status its neighbor Yogyakarta has enjoyed since the founding of the Republic.
Regional autonomy director general Akmal Malik told a hearing of House of Representatives Commission II overseeing home affairs on April 24 that the Home Ministry had received aspirations to form six special regions, including in Central Java. Lawmaker Ahmad Irawan told the media that a member of the Surakarta royal family, Dany Nur Adiningrat, was behind the proposal for the formation of Surakarta as a special region separate from Central Java.
Speaking to the media, Dany said the Surakarta sultanate’s role in the early phase of Indonesian independence and its rights over its past assets should be acknowledged by the state by reinstating Surakarta’s special status, which was revoked in 1946. Dany also spoke on social media on behalf of the crown prince of the Surakarta sultanate, Hamengkunegoro Sudibya, expressing his regret that the sultanate joined the Republic.
After Indonesia gained independence, Surakarta was given special status that allowed self rule for its sultanate, similar to Yogyakarta. The Yogyakarta sultanate still has this authority, but its Surakarta counterpart lost its power in 1950 when the city was added to Central Java province after anti-monarchist sentiment grew in 1946.
A lawyer representing the Surakarta sultanate has said the sultan had no connection with the bid for special region status, while Surakarta Mayor Respati Ahmad Ardianto and Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi have dismissed the idea.
The aspiration to revive the Surakarta special region appears to lack public or political support and more or less reflects internal squabbling within the sultanate, which no longer holds any real power. Policymakers may deem the discourse a nonissue, but the Surakarta brouhaha should trigger a comprehensive review of special regions and the formation of new regions in general as practices that could undermine our democratic institutions.
Law No. 23/2014 on regional government does not specifically address the issue of granting special status to a region. In practice, however, the status has been awarded to a region based on the specificity of its history, culture and its role in the formation of the Republic.
