During the mid-1949, Jatinegara (the old name for Bekasi) was a war-torn place, still marred with in-fightings between Indonesian army and rebel forces.

[1] By late 1949, Suhandan's office was located in Jatinegara, which is now the headquarters of the East Jakarta Military District.

Nearing the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, conflict occurred between pro-Indonesian and pro-State of Pasundan (Dutch puppet state) officials.

As a result, Suhandan's office had to be moved to the Malino shoe factory, which was located at an alleyway in the Pisangan Baru subdistrict.

The committee appointed new officials to head the regional government, while Suhandan retained his office as the regent of Jatinegara.

[6] The local parliament was officially formed with 35 members on 10 October 1950, with Madnuin Hasibuan, representing Masyumi, as its chair.

[4][9] His actions were backed by the district chieftains of Bekasi, who on 9 May held a meeting in support of Suhandan.

Noer demanded Suhandan to cut off contacts with the Bambu Runcing separatist group, but he was ignored.

The West Java provincial governing body, led by Sanusi Hardjadinata, also attempted to form a resolution between the two parties by proposing to sent Suhandan to Yogyakarta to pursue further studies, but to no avail.