TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Capital for the few? Nusantara draws flak for elite-only facilities
The construction of Indonesia’s planned new capital city in East Kalimantan has drawn flak from experts who see the megaproject veering toward elite private developments at the expense of inclusivity.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
The under-construction presidential palace is pictured in Nusantara, East Kalimantan, on Aug. 10, 2024. (AFP/-)
T
he construction of Nusantara, the planned new capital city in East Kalimantan, has drawn flak from analysts who fear the megaproject is veering toward elite private developments at the expense of inclusivity.
In the rush to unveil the new capital on Aug. 17, in time for the country’s Independence Day celebration, the development had sidestepped essential urban planning principles, prioritizing groundbreaking on international hospitals and private schools but missing many public facilities, urban planning expert Nirwono Joga told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
“The government was in a frenzy to show results, but what happens when no one actually uses these international-level facilities?” said Nirwono, who visited the site a couple of weeks ago.
“They're rushing to break ground on everything, but if no one’s there to use these [services], it’ll come back to bite them.”
To date, Nusantara has four hospitals under construction, including three private ones, and work has begun on at least four private international schools. One of these, Al Azhar Summarecon Nusantara School, is set to open its doors for students next year.
Read also: Govt hails Chinese firm as first foreign investor in new capital
The rapid development has also exposed glaring inequalities, Nirwono said, pointing out that essential workers like outsourced cleaning staff, who had been in Nusantara for months, were left to fend for themselves in shared housing on the outskirts.
