Indonesia celebrates Independence Day in new capital
Last Updated on August 19, 2024 9:42 am
The Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia celebrated its first Independence Day in the proposed new capital of Nusantara.
The day was observed on Saturday (August 17) in the new capital planned by the country’s government.
Before this, Indonesian President Joko Widodo held a cabinet meeting for the first time in Nusantara. Basically, various programs are being held there to reassure investors about the mega project worth about 33 billion dollars.
Indonesia declared independence in 1945 after Dutch rule and Japanese occupation during World War II. The plan was to officially inaugurate the new capital on the 79th Independence Day itself.
But the construction of the project on the island of Borneo has not yet been completed and due to funding issues, the inauguration of the new capital has not been possible.
A few years ago it was announced to move the capital from Jakarta to Nusantara. But in this case there are various problems. Construction work is being delayed, especially in the proposed new capital. Moreover, foreign investment is also lacking.
In early 2022, Indonesia chose the city of Nusantara on the eastern tip of the island of Borneo as its new capital. It is located in East Kalimantan province of the country. At that time, a bill was passed in the country’s House of Representatives to move the capital from Jakarta to the island of Borneo.
Nusantara is named to refer to the ethnographic ethnic group of the entire archipelago of Indonesia. President Joko Widodo proposed the name.
Joko Widodo announced the decision to move the capital of Indonesia to free the people of Jakarta, which is crowded, polluted and slowly sinking into the sea.
Nusantara, the new capital of East Kalimantan province, is located two thousand kilometers northeast of Jakarta. Currently, Jakarta is the main center for central government management, trade, economy and various service activities. However, Nusantara is said to also have a provincial-level administration, equivalent to Indonesia’s 34 provinces.
The Indonesian government will have to spend 466 trillion rupiah (about 33 billion US dollars) to implement this ambitious plan to transform the capital. Although controlling a traffic system in Jakarta costs the country 100 trillion rupiah a year. This money is spent from government funds.
It is known that the current capital Jakarta is in a bad condition due to traffic congestion. But there are many other reasons behind moving the capital. About half of Jakarta’s current location is below sea level. Many people there are living in swamps. Several areas of the city of Jakarta sink more than 25 cm per year. Originally the city of Jakarta was surrounded by the Java Sea and 13 rivers flowed through it.
Earlier in the cabinet meeting, Joko Widodo said the new capital is a historic chapter for the country. Nusantara is a canvas on which we can engrave the future. He also pointed out that every country does not have the opportunity or capacity to build a new capital from scratch.
Source: BBC