State of Pasundan

The State of Pasundan (Indonesian: Negara Pasundan, Old Spelling: Negara Pasoendan; Sundanese: ᮕᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓᮔ᮪, romanized: Nagara Pasundan) was a federal state (negara bagian) formed in the western part of the Indonesian island of Java by the Netherlands in 1948 following the Linggadjati Agreement. It was similar to the geographical area now encompassed by the current provinces of West Java, Banten and Jakarta.

A Pasundan Republic (Indonesian: Republik Pasundan) was declared on 4 May 1947 but was dissolved later that year. On 26 February 1948, the State of West Java (Negara Jawa Barat) was established and, on 24 April 1948, the state was renamed Pasundan. Pasundan became a federal state of the United States of Indonesia in 1949 but was incorporated into the Republic of Indonesia (itself also a constituent of the USI) on 11 March 1950.

In 2009, there was a proposal to rename the present West Java province Pasundan ("Province of the Sundanese") after the historical name for West Java.

On 17 August 1945, Sukarno proclaimed the independence of Indonesia, which had been a Dutch colony, and then had been occupied by the Japanese since 1942. The Dutch wished to retain control, and an armed conflict broke out. In November 1946, following international pressure, the Indonesians and Dutch signed the Linggadjati Agreement, in which the Dutch recognized Indonesian de facto authority over Java and Sumatra and both sides agreed to cooperate in the establishment of a United States of Indonesia comprising the Republic, Borneo and eastern Indonesia. However the Dutch began creating federal states unilaterally, beginning with the State of East Indonesia in December 1946. By July 1947, the cost to the Dutch of maintaining military forces in Indonesia and the desire to regain access to the resources of Java and Sumatra led the decision to attack the Republic. At midnight on 30 July 1947, the Dutch launched a "Police Action", and took control of West Java and Madura as well as the areas around Semarang, Medan and Palembang.  

The first attempt at establishing an independent republican State of Pasundan was by a Sundanese aristocrat named Musa Suriakartalegawa, who later claimed that it was at the suggestion of the political adviser to Dutch East Indies Lieutenant Governor Hubertus van Mook. He began laying the foundations of the republic by establishing the Pasundan People's Party (Partai Rakyat Pasundan, PRP) on 18 November 1946, with Raden Sadikin as the chairman of the party. Raden Sadikin, an employee of a Dutch food distribution centre in North Bandung, was chosen as the chairman of the party due to Kartalegawa's low reputation. Suriakartalegawa himself was not sympathetic to the Indonesian national movement. The party itself was established as a response to the lack of Sundanese representation in the Malino Conference and Pangkalpinang Conference. As secretary and treasurer of the party, two men who had been a chauffeur before the war and garden foremen during the Japanese occupation were appointed. Party membership was done by ‘subtle coercion’. Kartalegawa sought to realise a Pasundan Republic independent of Indonesia. This effort was supported by the Dutch Resident in Bandung, M. Klaassen, who wrote a report, dated 27 December 1946. The Preanger resident wrote in his report, that for centuries, there had been Sundanese-Javanese ethnic rivalry, due to differences in customs, traditions and mentality. Indonesia had always been led by the Javanese, so the PRP was seen as a spontaneous popular movement. Klaassen expressed satisfaction with the rise of this anti-republican movement in Tatar Pasundan, advocating for Dutch support, though he harbored concerns about certain PRP members who he believed were motivated by personal gain rather than genuine regional loyalty. Whist governor Abbenhuis shared Klaassen's view and backing, Dr. Hubertus van Mook, the Dutch High Commissioner of the Dutch East Indies, opposed backing the movement.

Using the party as the base of support, Suriakartalegawa established the State of Pasundan in the small areas of West Java still controlled by the Dutch. On May 4, 1947, he proclaimed the establishment of the Pasundan State at a large gathering in Bandung, attended by approximately 5,000 people. Dutch military forces provided trucks to transport people to the proclamation site and during the ceremony, Dutch military police officers presented attendees with Pasundan flags and bread to encourage them to parade in support of the republic. Suriakartalegawa appointed himself as the president and Koestomo as the prime minister in a provisional government. The Dutch supported Suriakartalegawa by providing facilities such as the press and radio, while the Enlightenment Service of the Dutch helped to spread propaganda pamphlets of the PRP. Its implementation was assisted by Dutch military intelligence, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS). Although Van Mook had prohibited such actions, local Dutch officials provided logistical support, transporting Kartalegawa's followers to Bogor, where they were welcomed by Colonel Thompson and Resident Statius Muller.

The establishment of the state was denounced by Sundanese aristocrats and commoners and did not lessen people's support for the Republic of Indonesia. Wiranatakusumah and his family sent out a wire to Sukarno on 6 May 1947 that opposed the establishment of the State of Pasundan. At the time, Soekarno was still supported by many people and Kartalegawa was considered a defector. But this did not prevent Kartalegawa from launching a movement in Bogor in May 1947, occupying offices and stations and even taking a resident prisoner. The PRP case was a political upheaval that illustrated the situation after Military Aggression, July 1947, in Tatar Sunda. Public meetings were held throughout West Java to oppose the formation of the state, and the Indonesian army in Garut announced IDR 10,000 bounty for the capture of Suriakartalegawa, either dead or alive. Suriakartalegawa's son and mother spoke out against the formation of the state on the Indonesian Radio Republik Indonesia.

Following press reports of the farcical nature of the state, and noticing the lack of support for it, the Netherlands Government Information Service withdrew its support. Suriakartalegawa's republic practically disappeared after the July 1947 Dutch "Police Action". The establishment of Pasundan convinced the Republican side of the Dutch intention to "divide and rule" and maintain their control over Indonesia.