JAKARTA: A proposal to reinstate Surakarta’s special designation status has resurfaced, potentially paving the way for the hometown of former president Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo to be separated from Central Java, long considered a stronghold of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Aria Bima, a PDI-P politician and the deputy chair of House of Representatives Commission II overseeing home affairs, revealed the idea after a meeting with the Home Ministry last week, saying that Surakarta was among six regions seeking special status. While details about the origin of the proposal and how Surakarta would be governed under special status remain unclear, the PDI-P has expressed opposition to the idea.
“I question the relevance [of granting Surakarta a special designation]. It is already a city of trade, education and industry. There is no need to make it even more special,” said Aria, a native of Central Java, on Thursday (April 24).
Echoing the sentiment, former two-term Surakarta mayor FX Hadi “Rudy” Rudyatmo, who is also a member of the PDI-P, asked in a Kompas TV interview on Friday, what was the point of special status if the city still struggled with poverty and unemployment.
The PDI-P had for years looked to Central Java as its stronghold. But, alarm bells of waning support began to ring last year when the party recorded losses in both the presidential election and subsequent regional contests.
These losses occurred amid a growing rift with Jokowi, whose political career began under the PDI-P banner in 2005 as mayor of Surakarta.
Tensions escalated ahead of the 2024 presidential race, as Jokowi tacitly backed the eventual winner, Prabowo Subianto, who ran alongside Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, another former Surakarta mayor.
The feud culminated in December with the PDI-P expelling both Jokowi and Gibran.
Still, the former president remains a powerful political figure in retirement, based in Surakarta’s Banjarsari subdistrict, where he frequently hosts locals, visitors, senior politicians and ministers at his private residence.
Political analyst Wasisto Raharjo Jati from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) noted that while Surakarta is “synonymous” with Jokowi, the notion of granting the city special designation status is more likely tied to the historical significance of the 280-year-old Surakarta Sultanate.
“Surakarta gained national prominence because of Jokowi and Gibran. But, granting the city special designation status is entirely a separate issue, it’s more historically inclined,” he said on Monday.
After Indonesia’s Independence, Surakarta was initially granted special status, allowing its monarchy to remain self-governing, similar to Yogyakarta. While the Yogyakarta Sultanate retains this authority today, the Surakarta Sultanate lost its governing power in 1950, when the city was integrated into Central Java following the rise of anti-monarchical sentiment (anti-swapraja) in 1946.
Political analyst Adi Prayitno said he was not surprised that some people would associate the push for special designation status for Surakarta with Jokowi.
However, he posited that the proposal was more likely driven by the desire to alleviate the administrative burden on Central Java.
“I see this as purely a matter of wanting a regional expansion because Central Java is simply too large,” he said on Monday.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, who is also a spokesperson for President Prabowo, said the government would study the Surakarta special designation proposal carefully before making any decision.
“We certainly won’t be reckless. We will study it slowly, find the best solution by considering the various factors,” Prasetyo said on Friday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
But, Arya Fernandes of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said it was unlikely the government would grant the request due to the lack of urgency and widespread political implications.
“If Surakarta is given a special designation [on the grounds that it still has an active sultanate], what’s stopping other areas with active royalties that existed from before Indonesian independence from asking the same?” he said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
