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Jokowi plans to move to Nusantara in July amid doubts
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo plans to start working from the new capital Nusantara in July, as he seeks to reassure the public that the development of his legacy project remains on track following the surprise resignation of its top two officials.
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This handout picture taken and released on June 5, 2024 by the Presidential Palace shows President Joko Widodo (center) inspecting the venue that will be used for the celebration of Indonesia's 79th Independence Day in the future capital city of Nusantara in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan. (AFP/Handout)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo plans to start working from the new capital Nusantara in July, as he seeks to reassure the public that the development of his legacy project remains on track despite the surprise resignation of the top two officials of the new capital’s project management agency.
The stakes are high for the incumbent leader to push ahead with the relocation project in East Kalimantan before he leaves office in October, both as a means to maintain his clout and make good on a decades-old idea before interest dissipates.
Jokowi was in Nusantara this week, where he inaugurated several projects and checked on the new presidential palace in an apparent attempt to appease concerns about the future of the new capital, which has been hampered by a lack of foreign investment, land ownership issues and delays.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday at the construction site of the new palace, Jokowi appeared confident that he would move to Nusantara as early as next month once clean water is available in government buildings.
"God willing, [the palace] will be finished. [I am] very optimistic about the office. We are still waiting for one thing: the water. The water will be [ready] in July," Jokowi said.
"We have already inaugurated the Sepaku [Semoi] Dam. Now we are waiting for the pumps to raise the water and then distribute it to the buildings and the houses in Nusantara," he added.
With a capacity of 16 million cubic meters, the dam, which the President inaugurated on Tuesday, is expected to supply potable water to the future national capital and the neighboring city of Balikpapan.
