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Former IKN chief pledges support for Nusantara
Bambang, a former Asian Development Bank (ADB) official, said in a statement posted on Instagram that everyone should support the construction of the new capital as it would symbolize Indonesia's vision of a new civilization that the country could realize in the year 2045.
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Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority then-chairman Bambang Susantono delivers a speech in a high-level panel of the 10th World Water Forum in Nusa Dua, Badung, Bali on May 21, 2024. (Antara/Media Center World Water Forum 2024/Fikri Yusuf)
F
ormer head of Nusantara Capital City (IKN), Bambang Susantono, who resigned from his job earlier this week, on Wednesday issued a statement pledging that he would continue to contribute to realizing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's vision of a new, green and sustainable capital.
Bambang, a former Asian Development Bank (ADB) official, said in a statement posted on Instagram that everyone should support the construction of the new capital as it would symbolize Indonesia's vision for a new civilization that the country could realize in the year 2045.
"The development of IKN as a sustainable forest city should not only be the hope for Indonesia but also a hope for the world as a model for future cities," Bambang said.
The President has replaced Bambang with Basuki Hadimuljono, the current public works and housing minister, in a surprise shake-up just weeks before the controversial US$32 billion project officially opens in Kalimantan.
Bambang's deputy, Dhony Rahajoe, was replaced by a deputy agrarian minister.
Indonesia's capital city will formally move in August from traffic-clogged and sinking Jakarta to the planned city of Nusantara.
The legacy project by the outgoing President has been hampered by a lack of foreign investment, land ownership issues and delays.
In his statement, Bambang also issued an apology for any mistakes made during his term.
"Allow me to apologize for any mistakes and shortcomings in my duties," Bambang said.
Environmentalists have warned that the planned city would speed up deforestation in one of the world's largest stretches of tropical rainforest.
The government aims to have 1.9 million people living in Nusantara by 2045, importing a wave of human and industrial activity into the heart of Kalimantan.
Thousands of civil servants are expected to move to the city in September to begin work, but the move has already been delayed by several months due to slow construction.
