A general view of Garuda Palace, the future Presidential Palace, and ministerial offices under construction in the new capital city of Nusantara. - Reuters
JAKARTA: President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has, once again, postponed his planned relocation to Nusantara in East Kalimantan, saying that he will wait for the future capital’s airport to be up and running first.
“[We] have to look at the conditions in the field because there are still many things that have not been completed, such as the airport,” Jokowi told the press on the sidelines of his visit to Yogyakarta on Wednesday (Aug 28).
The outgoing president went on to say that, once he takes up office in Nusantara, he will need an airport nearby to ensure his mobility to various provinces in the country.
“[Once I relocate], if I want to go to Papua, it should be [from the airport] in Nusantara. If I want to go to East Nusa Tenggara, it should be from Nusantara, and if I want to go to Aceh, it should also be from Nusantara,” he explained.
This was not the first time the president delayed his relocation to the future capital. He was initially scheduled to start working in Nusantara from July, but the plan was postponed as key infrastructure for water supply and electricity failed to meet the July deadline.
Later that month, however, Jokowi spent his first few nights at Nusantara’s Presidential Palace, just as his administration raced to complete preparations for the country’s first-ever independence day celebration in the future capital, which also marked its unveiling on the global stage.
The celebration on Aug 17 was attended by around 1,300 official guests, including cabinet members. Jokowi led the flag-hoisting ceremony that day along with his successor, president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who has promised to continue the tradition of holding future Independence Day celebrations also in Nusantara.
Separately, Presidential Secretary Heru Budi Hartono said on Monday that Jokowi would plan to stay for a few more nights in Nusantara in the coming month.
“The President has numerous working visits to undertake, and he will stay for some time to work in Nusantara between his visits," Heru said on Monday, as quoted by Antara.
But, Heru also said that Jokowi’s upcoming stay did not mean that he will start working from Nusantara permanently.
While the laws mandating the capital relocation from Jakarta to Nusantara have been enacted since 2021, Jokowi has yet to issue the Presidential Decree (Keppres) that stipulates the formal transfer of Indonesia’s capital. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
