Indonesia is replacing its capital city Jakarta with Nusantara. Its been a huge shift and one of the biggest infrastructure projects taken by the Indonesian Government. The decision was first made in 2019 by President Joko Widodo but it was delayed due to Covid 19 Pandemic. However, the bill has passed in the parliament on January 19 now the construction can be started in any upcoming month.
“The new capital has a central function and is a symbol of the identity of the nation, as well as a new center of economic gravity.”
In parliament meeting, PM Soharso Monoarfa said,
“The location is very strategic – it’s in the center of Indonesia and close to urban areas.”
He further added,
Reasons on Moving to Nusantara
The decision was taken due to the climate and environmental changes in Jakarta. The city became congested and polluted at an excessive rate and traffic jams are also at their peak. Jakarta is one of the fastest sinking cities in the world and suffers from frequent flooding and sinking at an estimated 25cm a year as the people of the city solely rely on groundwater. Another reason for flooding is the construction of buildings and shopping malls throughout the city.
Moreover, 60% of the population of the whole country lives in Java, an island of Jakarta and all the trade activities run from there. To ease the burden of human activity and redistribution of wealth is another main reason to shift the capital.
“The burden Jakarta is holding right now is too heavy as the center of governance, business, finance, trade, and services,” he said,
On Tuesday, the Indonesian President told the parliament about taking this step, he said;
Debuts on New Capital’s Name
Some people think that it’s confusing as the name Nusantara means Archipelago nation, it’s an old Javanese term used in Indonesia. President Joko Widodo suggested the name of the capital city from 80 options available. As per the planning minister of Indonesia, President selected this name because it is iconic and indicates Indonesia’s geography.
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Nusantara is located in mineral-rich East Kalimantan, it’s an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo. It is usually known for its jungles and lush-green mountains and forests. While talking about disturbing the forest life, planning minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said,
“We will not disturb any existing protected forest, instead we will rehabilitate it.”
Moreover, Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said in a press conference on Tuesday that the development of a new capital city consists of five stages and it will start from this year 2022. The shift will cost an estimated 466 trillion rupiah.
