July 10, 2024
JAKARTA – The US$32 billion Nusantara Capital City (IKN) project has met with another delay, as key infrastructure remains incomplete just weeks before its planned inauguration in mid-August, hampering the government’s move to formally relocate the nation’s capital to the new city under development in East Kalimantan.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Monday that the issuance of a presidential decree formalizing the city’s status as the national capital would depend on the project’s progress.
“I don’t want to force something that is not yet [finished], don’t force it, we’ll check all progress on-site [before making any decisions],” Jokowi said, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
The President said the decree could be issued by either his administration or the next one in October, implicitly referring to the inauguration of his successor, president-elect Prabowo Subianto
President Jokowi was scheduled to inaugurate the new city on Aug. 17 to coincide with the country’s 79 Independence Day celebrations.
He had also planned to start working from his new office in Nusantara this month, when the first-phase construction of government buildings was due to finish.
This move was intended primarily to reassure investors and bureaucrats after the surprise resignation of the IKN Authority’s head and deputy head on June 3 raised fresh doubts about the project’s future.
Jokowi admitted that relocating to his Nusantara office would be possible only if the basic infrastructure was ready, adding that he had received a report from the Public Works and Housing Ministry saying it was not.
Danis Sumadilaga, head of the Nusantara infrastructure development task force, said on Friday that construction on the president’s office had reached 92 percent.
The task force aimed to finish the office by the second week of July, in time for the Independence Day celebrations in August, he said.
Danis added that he expected the presidential office complex, along with landmark areas including a memorial park and the planned site of the flag raising ceremony, would be completed by the end of July.
He said other key administrative offices, such as the Presidential Secretariat and the State Secretariat, would only be partially operational.
“The issue is rain. At that height, there is a risk of rain and lightning,” Danis said, as quoted by Tempo.co, explaining that bad weather had delayed construction.
He added that all construction in Nusantara would be halted on Aug. 10 to focus on preparations for Independence Day celebrations.
In February, the government nearly halved this year’s target for relocating high-ranking civil servants from 11,916 to 6,000, also citing incomplete housing facilities.