Why is Indonesia Relocating its Capital?
Indonesia needs new capital and is willing to spend about $33 billion to obtain it. The Indonesian government intends to relocate the capital from Jakarta, on the island of Java, to Nusantara, a new purpose-built city in east Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo. The transfer is projected to take decades, but the first government offices and officials are planned to move there in 2024. But why relocate capital? Here are some suggestions.
Jakarta is progressively being gobbled up by the water. Scientists predict that up to one-third of it will be gone by 2050. Millions of people are at risk. Why is the water level suddenly higher than it was before? Why are people living below the water line? Perhaps because the sea water is slowly eroding the earth. Fortunately, they have a sea wall. The sea defenses, on the other hand, are exhibiting fractures, and the thousands of shacks that dot the beach here flood regularly, leaving dangerous waste and pollutants behind. It wasn't always like this. It was better, and the sea water was wonderful, as was the beach sand, and people could still play in the water. The water is discolored and muddy. Climate change and inadequate resource management are to blame for Jakarta's predicament. Excessive groundwater consumption has resulted in major subsidence; the city is sinking, and citizens are fleeing to higher ground or higher levels.
The administration is contemplating a new beginning and hopes to transfer the capital to Borneo. Such severe measures are not an option for the impoverished Jakartans living on the brink of calamity. Jakarta is sinking, and the only choice is to establish a new capital. Attempts to save Jakarta now appear to have failed, and it has been agreed that the capital city must be relocated to Kalimantan. There has always been a dispute regarding whether the movement is required or not, but looking at it from many viewpoints, for example, choosing a new place in central Kalimantan conveys two meanings. One is detaching power from Javanese centrism and allowing other regions to be the center of power as a government or economy. Another reason is that it is considered a political effort to show the world that Kalimantan is the nation's core. Kalimantan, commonly known as Borneo, has been a source of oxygen not just for Indonesia, but also for the rest of the globe. It is a strong statement to situate this capital city in the middle of Indonesia.
What does this mean for the inhabitants of Jakarta, which has a population of 10 million people? Is it possible for everyone to relocate to Nusantara? There are several faces to the movement, such as the capital's planning, which runs from 2022 to 2045. The first stage of the first phase is the first two years, till 2024, during which they will create the main government sector and not relocate the whole Jakarta population. Regardless of whether Jakarta is no longer a capital, it will continue to function as the hub of the economy and keep in mind that Jakarta contains layers of significance from colonial to postcolonial. So it will retain its charm as a city, but by 2024, the public officials, ministries, agencies, workers, and the whole army and police force will be relocated to this new capital. They intend to have 488,000 people until 2024, and then in the second stage, until 2029, they will add more people and release some infrastructure, and so on until 2045.
The new metropolis of Nusantara is a radically different city compared to Jakarta. A metropolis surrounded by lush jungle, free of the capital's congestion and pollution, all inhabitants are intended to be within a 10-minute walk of green spaces, and every high-rise is required to be built in an eco-friendly and energy-efficient manner. However, as construction begins, residents and environmentalists are already warning of the consequences. For decades, Indonesian administrations have prioritized the development of Java, which is now overcrowded and congested. President Joko Widodo, on the other hand, wants to alter that and bring money and development to the island of Borneo as well.
Starting from the ground up, fifty thousand soccer fields of eucalyptus plantation will eventually give way to Nusantara, Indonesia's new capital. It's meant to be a green and smart global metropolis, a capital built to run entirely on renewable energy and surrounded by a beautiful jungle. However, the government does not currently possess all of the areas intended for the future city, which provides a dilemma. The indigenous community frequently lacks documentation for the lands on which they have resided for centuries. They are not being treated fairly. Land in the future capital region is already priced at 1300 euros per square meter, while individuals are only paid two euros per square meter.
There are no earthquakes, tsunamis, or societal disputes involving tribal, religious, or racial difficulties; it's a perfect miniature Indonesia. But what about the city's influence on the environment beyond its borders? The new capital's sediment and pollutants might devastate the beautiful environment. The bay will serve as a gateway to the capital region. It's the watergate, and it's also the location of all of the protected species. The government has announced intentions to expand the current mangrove forest, but it is unclear how this would be paid for, with the private sector expected to fund eighty percent of the additional capital. The government's concept of green capital may clash with the realities of major corporate needs.
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