Makassar, What's in a name ?
From Makassar to Ujung Pandang to Makassar
Between 1971 and 199 in makasar, a city of millions, disappeared from the world map. Its name remained imprinted in history and ingered on as a ghost in old maps of Sulawesi of Celebes, but Makassar existed no longer.
Early Makassar Logo
Troughtout the centuries, makassar survive wars and prospered to become Sulawesi’s capital. What it did not survive, was a peacedul enlargement that in 1971 expanded its borders from 21-square-kolimetres to 127-square-kilometres. It surely was an inglorious end for a city that since 1640 was the capital of the twin kingdom of Gowa-Tallo, the most influential domain in eastern Indonesia well before the Dutch colonial era Began.
The enlargement took place at the expense of the regencies of Maros, Pangkajene Kepulauan and Gowa that were incorporated into the city. At the time, it did not matter that historical records showed Makassar as the capital of Sulawesi before its division into four provinces. The Three regencies’ pride was hurt, the bureaucraft started deliberations on finding a solution. Eventually, a compromise was reached and on August 31, 1971 the then mayor H.M Daeng Patompo was forced to cross out Makassar and scribble down to Ujung Pandang in the town hall’s official letterhead.
Since then, historians, cultural experts and members of the South Sulawesi community have campaigned for a return to the name Makassar with the same ardour as their ancestors fought the Dutch colonizers. In the meantime, visitors puzzled as to whether they were visiting Makassar or Ujung Pandang. Maps did not help as they showed one or the other, depending on the printing date.
Their campaigning bore fruit and on October 13,1999 Government Decree No. 86/1999, endorsed by President B.J. Habibie reverted back to the Makassar. Historians, cultural experts and members of the South Sulawesi community were overjoyed. Tourist had a better idea where they were going and the then mayor Drs. H.B. Amiruddin Maula gladly tossed all the remaining letterheads with Ujung Pandang on them into the paper shredder and ordered reams of official letterhead with makassar on them.
Maps can still be confusing as they show either depending on the printing date, but makassar will live on while Ujung Pandang will eventually disappear.