The Presidential Secretariat has started preparations to host this year's official Independence Day celebrations in Nusantara, East Kalimantan, and expects thousands to attend.
he government is preparing to host its official 2024 Independence Day celebrations in Nusantara, East Kalimantan, in August, as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo hopes to have portions of the planned new capital up and running later in the year.
Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, State Secretariat secretary Setya Utama said the government had held its first meeting on the topic.
“We have eight months [until Independence Day on Aug. 17],” Setya said. “Even when holding [the celebrations] at the State Palace in Jakarta, we start the preparations well in advance. However, we have to start in January this year because it’s going to be held in the new capital.”
Presidential Secretariat head Heru Budi Hartono, who will chair the committee for this year’s celebrations, said he had formed divisions within the committee to prepare for different aspects of the programming.
“I have asked each division […] to immediately come together and discuss [preparations] in their respective fields, taking into account the conditions of the new capital in August,” he said.
He added that he had also asked the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) to form the national flag-hoisting team (Paskibraka) earlier than in previous years, setting a target of March instead of the usual deadline of May.
Read also: Legacy, landscapes and lives: The tales of Nusantara
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