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Borneo, Sulawesi top capital candidates
Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi and West Sulawesi were top of the list, while the experts have yet to discuss exactly which city or regency it would be.
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Daredevil: A young visitor rides the Flying Fox at the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta. (Antara/Galih Pradipta)
W
hile preparing to relocate the country’s capital, the government has considered moving the center of governance to islands located in the middle of the archipelago.
The head of research on population studies at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Herry Yogaswara, who has been involved in the discussion about the new capital with the government over the past four years, said the options currently available were provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, as well as on Sulawesi.
Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi and West Sulawesi were top of the list, while the experts have yet to discuss exactly which city or regency it would be.
“Palangkaraya [in Central Kalimantan] was discussed because it was former president Sukarno’s idea back when the city was established in the 1950s,” Herry said.
Recent observations of the city have also proven that it is a good option. Palangkaraya is indeed ideal as the country’s capital city based on the government’s criteria, considering its geological location and land structure.
“Kalimantan is earthquake-free, but has problems with flooding and forest and land fires,” he said.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his Cabinet discussed the relocation plan at a meeting on Monday, reviving the decades-old plan to move the capital from Jakarta, which experiences severe traffic congestion and flooding.
