The plan to inaugurate Nusantara as the country’s new capital on Independence Day on Aug. 17 has been scrapped and replaced with a flag-hoisting ceremony, which President Jokowi and president-elect Prabowo Subianto are scheduled to attend along with a small group of guests. Vice President Ma’ruf Amin and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s son, will host the ceremonies in Jakarta. 

This is all totally fine, except for Jokowi, who has desperately been trying to move the country’s capital to Nusantara before his term ends in October. We would like to remind the outgoing President, once again, that all the rush is not necessary.

There is no record of other purpose-built capitals in the world with the size and complexity of Nusantara having been built and opened in less than a decade. This is not to mention the fact that Nusantara, designed to cover 256,000 hectares, four times the size of Jakarta, is being constructed from scratch in the forests of East Kalimantan. Washington, DC, for example, has been built and developed over centuries.

Devoting a sufficient amount of time to developing Nusantara is paramount, as it is to be the seat of power and politics and the symbol of the country’s stability and security. Even a small sign of imbalance or disruption could impact the whole country. 

If this is about the legacy that Jokowi wants to leave to the nation, it is all the more reason for the President to think twice about moving the capital before his term ends. The accelerated construction over the past three years has not only burdened the state budget but has also resulted in a string of controversial decisions that investors or potential investors may read as red flags. 

Defying months of public criticism, Jokowi issued a presidential regulation granting investors extraordinary privileges, including land rights for up to 190 years. Experts have warned that the regulation may violate popular rights outlined in the Constitution and Agrarian Law.

By giving up land rights to investors for such a long period of time, the state has limited its ability to make the land as beneficial as possible to Indonesians. The regulation shows a lack of consideration for people's constitutional right to land and good governance.

These days, the government has been promoting all the construction details of the sea of steel and concrete that is Nusantara, down to the last blade of steel attached into the Nusantara Presidential Palace. These blades of steel, numbering 4,650, are intended to emulate the wings of the Garuda, the national symbol, according to the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry. 

We call on the President to sit back, relax and focus on helping ensure a smooth transition of power. This is better than to force his administration, Prabowo and practically the whole country – and even his foreign counterparts – to support his signature project. Yes, this is about the last-minute IKN investment pitches that Jokowi still makes on his overseas trips, including his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates.

It is about time that Jokowi entrusts completion of the megaprojects that he initiated, including the IKN, to Prabowo, his handpicked successor whom he helped win the election. 

The Jakarta Special Designation Law stipulates the revocation of Jakarta’s status as the nation’s capital city, but it will only take effect if the President signs a decree designating the IKN as the new capital. Before the decree is issued, Jakarta will remain the country’s capital. 

When inaugurated in October, Prabowo will need political and fiscal stability to run his own administration. Jakarta is sinking, but it remains a better option than the IKN, at least for the time being.