Passing the bill, Indonesia announced that it will move its capital! Jokowi is one step closer to achieving his ambitions

Indonesian President Joko Widodo's ambitious plan to move the capital has finally taken a solid step.

On January 18, local time, the Indonesian Parliament officially passed a bill to approve the relocation of the capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan Province. At the same time, Indonesia also announced the name of the new capital. Some public opinion said that for decades, several Indonesian presidents have proposed plans to move the capital, but none of them can do it like Jokowi.

Low-carbon "super hub"

"The new capital has a core function, will be a symbol of national identity, and a new economic center of gravity." Indonesia's minister of national development planning, Suharso Monoarfa, said in a speech to Parliament on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, the bill passed by Congress on the same day provided a legal framework for moving the capital, stipulating the source of funding and management methods for the development of the new capital.

The new capital is located in East Kalimantan Province, Borneo, 1,300 km from Jakarta. CNN, citing official Indonesian data, reported that the total land area of the new capital is about 2,561 square kilometers — almost all of which have been converted from forest areas.

The construction of the new capital, which is expected to cost around IDR 466 trillion (US$32 billion), will be one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken by the Indonesian government.

According to Indonesia's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of National Development and Planning, the development and construction of the new capital will be divided into five stages. The first phase, which is expected to start this year and continue through 2024, will prioritize the construction of roads and ports for ease of passage, with some projects operating in the form of public-private partnerships. The entire development and construction process is expected to continue until 2045.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday that the government wants to turn the new capital into a new smart metropolis and an innovation hub that attracts talent from around the world.

Reuters reported that the Indonesian government also envisions building the new capital as a low-carbon "super hub" that supports the development of the pharmaceutical, medical and technology industries and promotes sustainable growth outside java. The Indonesian government said in a statement that it would help strengthen supply chains and put Indonesia "in a more strategic position in terms of world trade routes, investment flows and technological innovation."

However, according to Reuters, Jakarta will remain indonesia's capital until the president issues a formal change order.

The Washington Post also said that moving government agencies to the new capital does not mean that the manufacturing industry, which is already entrenched in Jakarta, will soon follow suit.

On the same day, Indonesia also announced that the new capital would be named "Nusantara", which means "archipelago" in Javanese.

According to Indonesia's Minister of National Development planning, the name of the new capital was chosen by the president. The name was chosen because it reflects indonesia's geographical location and is internationally iconic.

Offload and balance

Out of concern for Jakarta's environmental and economic sustainability, as early as 2019, Indonesian President Joko Widodo proposed a grand idea of moving the capital. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this plan has been delayed so far.

As we all know, Jakarta is one of the world's largest megacities, facing multiple challenges such as population expansion, traffic congestion, environmental pollution, and urban sinking.

In terms of population, Jakarta has a permanent population of more than 10 million, and together with the surrounding satellite cities, the entire metropolitan area has a population of more than 30 million, and the dense population has led to overcrowding of the city.

According to the BBC, government ministers must be escorted by a convoy of police to attend meetings on time.

Geographically, Jakarta is also not geographically advantageous. Located on the marshland of Java near the sea, it is highly vulnerable to flooding and threatened by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and land subsidence.

Taking ground subsidence as an example, Jakarta is sinking at a rate of about 10 centimeters per year due to rising sea levels and over-exploitation of groundwater – in some areas at an astonishing rate of 25 centimeters per year, and is considered the fastest city in the world. Some experts predict that by 2050, parts of northern Jakarta may be submerged by seawater.

Jokowi has said that Jakarta, as the country's political, commercial, financial, trade and service center and Indonesia's largest airport and seaport, is too burdened to "increase the burden on Java any longer."

The Indonesian government hopes that the establishment of a new capital in East Kalimantan will ease the burden on Jakarta.

In addition to taking into account environmental and economic factors and reducing the burden on Jakarta, another important consideration for the relocation of the capital is to promote the development of Indonesia's central and eastern regions. Unbalanced regional development has always been Indonesia's short board. Java, where Jakarta is located, accounts for about 6% of Indonesia's total area, but accounts for more than 58% of gross domestic product (GDP), while the central and eastern islands, which cover more than 60% of the total area, contribute less than 17% to GDP.

More "strategic"

Compared with Jakarta, in the eyes of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, East Kalimantan Province, which was chosen as the seat of the new capital, is more "strategic".

"The location is very strategic – it's in central Indonesia and close to urban areas" that can accommodate both eastern and western developments, explains Jokowi why he loves it.

According to Jokowi, the new capital will straddle the North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara districts of East Kalimantan province, with two large cities in the province, the capital Shammalinda and the port city of Balikpapan.

According to the BBC, both the Northern Penayan Basel and Kutai Katanegara regions are underdeveloped.

Jokowi also said that the risk of natural disasters in the location of the new capital is "minimal" and will not face traffic congestion, environmental pollution, ground subsidence and other issues.

In addition, East Kalimantan is mineral-rich, densely forested and has a low population density (only 3.7 million people live). The province has a considerable infrastructure and logistics base, such as an important transportation hub , the international airport and a seaport near Balikpapan.

Not praised

However, the relocation of the capital has not received unanimous praise.

Critics believe that the construction of a new capital threatens to damage the local ecological environment.

Kalimantan, the world's third-largest island, is home to a rich diversity of wildlife and lush rainforests, such as being one of the few natural habitats for orangutans on Earth. Environmental groups are concerned that some endangered species will be affected by development and construction. In addition, the construction of the new capital will lead to the expansion of palm oil plantations and the massive logging.

Groups representing Borneo's indigenous people have also expressed concern that their environment and culture could be threatened as a result.

In addition, Kalimantan does not seem to be as safe as Jokowi says. According to the BBC, Kalimantan is also a hotspot for forest fires.

However, the Indonesian government stressed that the construction of the new capital will take full account of the environmental impact.

In addition, the name of the new capital has also sparked controversy on social media.

The new name can be confusing because "Nusantara" is an old Javanese proper noun in Indonesia that refers to an entire archipelago country.

Globally, Indonesia is not the first country to relocate its capital. Previously, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Myanmar and other countries have moved their capitals. The most recent example is Egypt. After six years of preparation, egypt officially moved its capital last December, shifting the center of power from Cairo to its new administrative capital in the east.

(Edit email: [email protected])

Column Editor-in-Chief: Yang Liqun Text Editor: Yang Liqun Caption Source: Xinhua News Agency Photo Editor: Yong Kai

Source: Author: Liao Qin