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Fresh speculation on who will head new capital authority emerges
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (center) talks with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (right) and Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono (left) about the government's plan to build a road to connect the Balikpapan-Samarinda toll road with the site of the new capital city, which is to occupy a 256,000-hectare area in East Kalimantan's North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regencies (Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau/Lukas)
A
s Indonesia moved one step closer to relocating the nation's capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan with the recent enactment of the State Capital Law, speculation on who President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will pick to be responsible for governing the new capital has emerged.
Nusantara -- the new capital -- will be led by an authority head appointed by Jokowi within the next two months. The position is equivalent to a minister and will be in charge of the preparation, construction and relocation process to Nusantara, as well as its eventual governance.
In a private meeting with the editors-in-chief of several national news outlets last week, Jokowi reportedly said he wanted the head of the Nusantara authority to have experience as a regional leader with a background in architecture.
This set off speculation that some names fit the profile, such as West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, Makassar Mayor Ramdhan “Danny” Pomanto and Aceh Governor Nova Iriansyah. All three graduated with bachelor’s degrees in architecture, while Ridwan and Danny also have master's degrees in urban planning and architecture, respectively.
Others have speculated that Social Affairs Minister Tri “Risma” Rismaharini also has a chance, given she is a former Surabaya mayor and has a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master’s degree in urban planning and architecture.
Read also: House passes bill to relocate Indonesia's capital
Ridwan has seen his popularity rise in the past few months, with a survey by Kompas daily in October placing him as the fourth-most-electable potential candidate for president in the 2024 election, after Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and fellow governors Anies Baswedan of Jakarta and Ganjar Pranowo of Central Java.
