Jakarta – Totok Santosa Hadiningrat, a resident of Purworejo in Central Java, has declared himself king of Keraton Agung Sejagat (The World Empire), which he claims to be the "mother of all states."
Totok invited reporters to a building in Pogung village, Bayan district, Purworejo regency, on Sunday to announce the new kingdom's existence.
"We announce to the world that Keraton Agung Sejagat is the mother of all kingdoms, states, tribunes and colonies in this world. We declare that it will be a peacemaker for all the conflicts that are occurring all over the world," he said as reported by Kompas TV.
He said the kingdom bring about world peace "by improving sovereignty systems, state systems, economic systems and monetary systems worldwide".
With black, military-style uniforms with gold trimmings, Totok and his followers' were reminiscent of the United Kingdom's Blues and Royals army regiment, whose uniform Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, wore at his wedding in 2018.
The kingdom's heraldry seemed to include a mishmash of symbols from different cultures, including Javanese calligraphy, European-style crowns, fleurs-de-lis, as well as a swastika inside of a Star of David.
Totok claimed to have about 425 followers, and his advisor, Resi Joyodiningrat, said that the kingdom was a continuation of the Majapahit Kingdom that controlled much of maritime Southeast Asia at its peak in the 13th century.
Purworejo deputy police chief Comr. Andis Arfan Tofani said that the police were aware of the so-called kingdom and were planning on visiting it to get more information.
"We have heard of [Keraton Agung Sejagat], but we haven't started the law enforcement process. We will go there to get clarification," Andis said on Monday, as quoted by Antara News Agency. (kmt)