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Maritime security considerations for new capital city
A nuclear-powered submarine or a warship belonging to a foreign country could pass through the Makassar Strait very closely to the new capital Nusantara, even without giving prior notification to, or getting permission from, Indonesia.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (center) pours water brought by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan (right), as East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor (third left) looks on, during a Kendi Nusantara ritual at the site for Indonesia's new capital city Nusantara in Sepaku district, North Penajam Paser, East Kalimantan, on Monday. As part of the ritual, President Jokowi collected soil and water from 34 provinces, which were brought by the governors attending the ceremony. (Courtesy of Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau /Muchlis Jr. )
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has finally enacted Law No. 3/2022 to formalize the plans for the construction of a new capital city. The long road to the relocation of the seat of government was marked with a ceremony to bless the development of the new capital in North Penajem Paser regency in East Kalimantan on Monday.
While controversy surrounding the law still lingers, the law makes it clear that the new capital city Nusantara will straddle North Penajem Paser and neighboring Kutai Kartanegara. The location seems to be strategic because it lies at the center of the archipelago.
However, it is important to analyze the city’s location from all perspectives, including that of maritime security.
As an archipelagic state that envisions itself becoming a global maritime power, Indonesia will benefit from having a capital city that is on the sea. However, it does not go without risks, including the fact that North Penajem Paser and Kutai Kartanegara are directly facing the Makassar Strait, one of Indonesia’s archipelagic sea lanes.
As an archipelagic state, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Indonesia “may designate sea lanes and air routes thereabove, suitable for the continuous and expeditious passage of foreign ships and aircraft through or over its archipelagic waters and the adjacent territorial sea”.
The policy of the archipelagic sea lane is one result of the long negotiation process during the law of the sea conference. To ensure that international navigation routes remain accessible even though the seas between Indonesia’s islands comes under the country’s full sovereignty in line with the archipelagic policy. Indonesia remains the only country that has designated an archipelagic sea lane.
Even though it is not mandatory, Indonesia has designated three archipelagic sea lanes for international navigation routes. The archipelagic sea lanes connect the northern part to the southern part, one of which is the archipelagic sea lane in the middle, which connects the Celebes Sea, Makassar Strait and goes through the Lombok Strait. The sea lane is very close to Indonesia's new capital.
