TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsNasDem urges Prabowo to decide on new capital city project
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Overcast skies hang above an elevated walkway snaking through a forested garden on Aug. 16, 2024, in the future capital Nusantara in East Kalimantan, with the winged silhouette of the Garuda Palace in the distance.
(REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan)
T
he pro-government NasDem Party has called on President Prabowo Subianto’s administration to make a firm decision on the fate of Nusantara, the country’s planned new capital, urging the government to either issue a decree to formalize the relocation or pause the project temporarily amid fiscal constraints.
The megaproject, an initiative of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, seeks to move the seat of the government about 1,200 kilometers away from traffic-clogged, overpopulated Jakarta to Nusantara, a new city that is still under construction in East Kalimantan.
Since his inauguration last October, Prabowo has yet to visit Nusantara and recently decided to hold this year’s Independence Day ceremony in Jakarta despite earlier pledges to celebrate it in the future capital, raising fresh questions about his long-term commitment to his predecessor’s project.
In a press conference on Friday, NasDem deputy chairman Saan Mustopa emphasized the need for a clear policy direction on Nusantara from the central government amid fiscal constraints, warning that prolonged indecision could lead to wasted public funds.
“The government has [other] programs that must continue. We can’t afford to let the budget spent on Nusantara go to waste if there’s no activity,” Saan said.
If the government chooses to proceed with the project, Saan said Prabowo should immediately issue decrees to formalize the capital relocation – something that the President has not done as he focuses on his own programs like the free nutritious meal program.
As an interim step, NasDem proposed that Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son, and a few selected ministries begin working from Nusantara to establish an initial government presence in the new city and reduce the strain on city maintenance.
