Aerial view of Jakarta. (Image via Fox News)

Official! Indonesia to move its capital to East Kalimantan in 2024

JAKARTA - Broadcasting live at Merdeka Palace, the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, generally known as Jokowi, finally revealed the site for the new capital of Indonesia. Say “Goodbye” to Jakarta, and say “Hello” to East Kalimantan!

Jokowi once said that he would want to get rid of the perspective that the Indonesian development was too Java-centered. By reinstalling the capital in the new location, Jokowi aimed to tackle disparity and social gaps in Indonesia. Java Island consists of 60% of the Indonesian population and 58% of Indonesian GDP.

Accompanying Jokowi in the announcement, there were Vice President of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla, Minister of National Development Planning and head of National Development Planning Ministry (BAPPENAS), Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Agriculture and Land Planning, Sofyan Djalil, Governor of Jakarta, Anies Baswedan, and Governor of East Kalimantan, Isran Noor.

“The most ideal location for the capital of Indonesia is partly in North Penajam Paser and partly in Kutai Kartanegara regencies, East Kalimantan province,” stated Jokowi on Monday.

Sofyan Djalil once revealed that the capital would move to East Kalimantan but to unknown locations. Previously, Balikpapan and Samarinda were also considered as locations for the new capital. Balikpapan is known for its oil refinery and port, the economic center of Indonesia, while Samarinda is the provincial capital of East Kalimantan, known for its spaciousness.

After reviewing the report, submitted by Bambang Brodjonegoro last Friday, regarding the land structure and the report of the economic impact of transferring the capital from Jakarta, Jokowi decided to place the new capital partly in the two regencies. However, the moving has not yet determined since the President is still waiting for two more reviews from BAPPENAS.

The distance is a two-hour flight from Jakarta. The areas are covered by forest owned by the government, easing the acquiring process of private lands. Also, the areas are deemed to be safe from natural disasters, where they rarely happen there.

Jokowi revealed an astronomical figure from BAPPENAS to complete the movement of the capital at Rp 466 trillion ($32.79 billion), 19% of which came from State Fund. Meanwhile, the rest of the funding came from public-private partnerships and investments. BAPPENAS also calculated that about 40,000 hectares of land would be used. Also, 1.5 million civilians to move to the new location.

The construction will begin in 2021, and the reinstallation of government offices will begin in 2024.

Source: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/jokowi-picks-borneo-for-new-indonesia-capital-1.1306793