State of Pasundan

The first attempt at establishing an independent State of Pasundan was done by a Sundanese aristocrat named Musa Suriakartalegawa. He began laying the foundations of the state by establishing the Pasundan People's Party (Partai Rakyat Pasundan, PRP) on 18 November 1946, with Raden Sadikin as the chairman of the party.[5] The party itself was established as a response to the lack of Sundanese representation in the Malino Conference and Pangkalpinang Conference.[6]

Using the party as the base of support, Suriakartalegawa established the State of Pasundan with a proclamation on 4 May 1947.[7] Suriakartalegawa appointed himself as the president of the state and Koestomo as the prime minister in a provisional government. The Dutch supported Suriakartalegawa by providing facilities such as the press and radio. The Enlightenment Service of the Dutch helped to spread propaganda pamphlets of the PRP, while the Dutch military forces provided trucks to transport people to the proclamation site.[8]

The establishment of the state was denounced by Sundanese aristocrats and commoners. Wiranatakusumah and his family sent out a wire to Soekarno on 6 May 1947 that denied the establishment of the State of Pasundan.[9] Public meetings were held throughout West Java to oppose the formation of the State of Pasundan, and the Indonesian army in Garut puts IDR 10,000 bounty for those who can capture Suriakartalegawa, either dead or alive. Suriakartalegawa's son and mother spoke out against the formation of the state in the Radio Republik Indonesia.[10]

Noticing the lack of support to the state, the Dutch halted its support to the state. Suriakartalegawa's state practically disappeared after the First Dutch Military Aggression on 21 July 1947.[10]

After the First Dutch Military Aggression, the Dutch forces managed to capture parts of West Java, allowing the Recomba (Dutch transitional government) to hold a conference that involved various groups in West Java. The main goal of the conference was to establish a new State of Pasundan. The conference was held three times, all in the city of Bandung.

The first conference was held from 13 until 18 November 1947. The conference was attended by 50 delegates from all of the regions of West Java. The conference discussed matters regarding the government of the State of Pasundan, the integration between Dutch and Indonesian officials, and efforts to recover peace and security in West Java.[11] The conference managed to form a liaison committee between the Dutch and the Indonesian officials, headed by Hilman Djajadiningrat (then Governor of Jakarta).[12]

The next conference was held a month later, from 16 until 20 December 1947. A larger amount of delegates (170 delegates) attended the conference. Instead of representing the Sundanese people only, the delegates also came from minorities in West Java (Chinese, Arabic, Europeans, Indos).[13] The liaison committee was added with five more people, three of which represent the minorities. The liaison committee was renamed to preparatory committee.[14]

There were three opinions regarding the formation of the State of Pasundan. The majority of the delegates opted to establish a definitive government, while the others (mainly pro-Indonesian) opted transitional government or refused to form a government until a referendum is held.[15]

There were three motions that were submitted to the conference by the delegates. Even though the motions had a difference, the three motions were put together with deliberation and the result was in the form of a resolution. The resolution stated that the next conference should form a provisional government for West Java with its parliament.[16]

The final conference, the third conference, was held on 23 February until 5 March 1948. The conference was held after the Renville Agreement, as the agreement finally secured West Java under Dutch control.[17]