Jogjakarta: A Special Region That Is Being Rocked To The Core

Believe it or not, within the Republic of Indonesia, there is still a pre-colonial monarchy that existed way before the country even declared independence. What the hell is this? What kind of sorcery are you talking about? You may ask. Well, Only in this archipelago that you can find two provinces that have its own laws and systems. One of them is the Sultanate of Jogjakarta, or as referred with the official name, The Special Region of Jogjakarta (Daerah Istimewa Jogjakarta in Indonesian). As you might expect, the head of this provincial-level autonomous region is not a governor. Instead, the Sultan himself took that position according to the Special Law of Jogjakarta; with the Vice Governor is the royal price that assumed the title of Paku Alam. Why the hell this region is still allowed to do this? In a nutshell, The Sultanate is the first kingdom that fully recognizes the independence of Indonesia. Jogjakarta City would also served as the Nation's capital during the Indonesian Revolution (1946-1948), although after an invasion, the government switched to Bukittingi. This is majorly done with the blessings and the support from the Sultan. In order to pay the favor back, the Indonesian government would grant a special authority status to the Region. The law passed in 1950, making Jogjakarta the only province among the 34 provinces that still retains the monarch. Since then, the region plays an important role for the country. Even the royal family was represented at the top of the Indonesian government, with His Highness the Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX who assumed office as the Indonesian Vice President under Suharto.

I've been to this Special Region twice, and I have to say that in comparison to other cities on the Java Island, Jogjakarta still retains its cultural heritages and its royal vibes aside from the Bali Island (but with the Balinese, it's more towards religion-based customs, since the province is the only Island province that has the most Hindu population). The city itself is also full of the big sense of royalty to it. Jogjakarta City is the home of the Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Palace, which serves as both museum and the royal palace. The Sultan's position in this case is like that of a governor, with full control over the region and answers directly to the President of Indonesia. Whenever you go, there is always a bit of a royal vibe that surrounds the region, from the city all the way to regencies like Sleman, Kulonprogo or Bantul, people who travel to Jogjakarta always came up with two things on their minds: The Royal Sultanate and the embodiment of the Javanese culture. Not surprisingly, Jogjakarta is also known to be the center of Javanese culture. With various dances, drama plays, music, poetry and puppet shows. Aside from the royal palace, Jogjakarta is also home for the famous shopping district known as Malioboro Street. This complex is roughly 500 meters away from the royal palace, and known mainly for its Batik. There are many stores either inside the shopping district or areas surrounding it that specializes in this type of clothing. Aside from that, some shops also have t-shirts with various motives associated to Jogjakarta or the Kingdom of Jogjakarta. This city is also known for its higher education, namely the Gadjah Mada University (Universitas Gadjah Mada, UGM in Indonesian), probably one of the most prestigious universities in Indonesia. Other place of interest is Mount Merapi, last erupted in October-November 2010.

For many years, Jogjakarta is widely known for being "always special", but there are some controversies that rise in this region during the last decade. I did mention that the Sultan of Jogjakarta also assume office as the governor of Jogjakarta, right? Well, in 2016, an advocate named M. Sholeh tried to challenge that special right by stating that Jogjakarta needs an election to decide the governor seat. He referenced the current President of Indonesia Joko Widodo, who despite being born in Surakarta (known as Solo), Central Java (his ID card is a Central Java ID), he was allowed to run for the position of governor of Special Capital Region of Jakarta (DKI Jakarta). He was also against the idea that the Sultan can be the governor at the same time. This idea was rejected, citing that under the Special Law, M. Sholeh was ineligible to run for candidate, since his ID was also a Central Java ID. The Constitutional Court also stated that the limitations was put in place with the sake of honoring the agreement and the recognition of Indonesia by the Sultanate of Jogjakarta, before the country was even established. Since then, the governoral seat belongs to the royal throne. The Sultan is also the governor of the Special Region as long as he remains in the throne. Another case of the special law being challenged was by a lawyer named Handoko. He claimed that the current land ownership law issued by the Vice Governor restricted Chinese-Indonesian minorities from owning their own lands. The State Court of Jogjakarta later broke this argument, stating that due to history and the special law, the Special Region of Jogjakarta is allowed to establish its own laws and regulations. This law is again challenged, this time by a Chinese-Indonesian college student Felix Juanardo Winata, an UGM student. He claims that it will jeopardize the unity of Indonesia as written on the Pancasila's fifth principle, which says "Social Just and Equality to all Indonesians". The trials of this case will be held at the Constitutional Court.

Jogjakarta is indeed special. Evidenced by the strong royal influence in the form of the Sultanate, and also it major Javanese customs. Among all the cities across 6 provinces on the Java Island (save from Banten, Jakarta and West Java, with the former and the latter mostly known for its Sundanese population, and Jakarta which is the home of the Betawi), This is the city that has the most Javanese-influenced customs and traditions. When you think about the history behind it, it is only appropriate for the Indonesian Government to name Jogjakarta as the Autonomous Region with special rights for its own regulations. From the start, the Sultanate pledged their allegiance to the then newly established republic, and fought alongside them during wars and hard times. In the end, no matter what happens, keep Jogjakarta "special."