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Government ramps up preparation for first Independence Day in Nusantara
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Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Hadi Tjahjanto introduces the new presidential palace, the Garuda Palace, on Aug. 7, 2024, during a press event in Nusantara, East Kalimantan. The newly built city will host this year’s 79th Independence Day celebrations, which are slated to include its inauguration as the nation’s capital. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga )
A
s Independence Day inches closer, the government is ramping up its preparations for the simultaneous celebrations in Jakarta and the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) in East Kalimantan, spending more money than in previous years.
Construction work in Nusantara was paused on Saturday to prepare for the city’s first-ever Independence Day celebration on Aug. 17.
In a preparation event on Saturday, the nation’s flag and a copy of the text of the proclamation of independence were transported from the National Monument in Jakarta to the IKN, marking the first time they have ever left Jakarta. The event in Jakarta also involved hundreds of the capital’s Abang None pageant participants, flag bearers and students from various schools.
The flag and the proclamation text are now being stored at the new Garuda Palace in Nusantara.
“The event is a symbol of teamwork and synergy between Jakarta and Nusantara,” Presidential Secretariat head Heru Budi Hartono, who is also the interim Jakarta governor, said on Saturday.
Outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and president-elect Prabowo Subianto are slated to commemorate Independence Day in Nusantara, while Vice President Ma’ruf Amin and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son, will join the event in Jakarta.
Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the Democratic Party has confirmed he will not be attending the Aug. 17 celebrations in Nusantara, while his predecessor Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has neither accepted nor declined her invitation.
