The Budget For The Independence Day Ceremony Of Indonesia Is Swelling For The Pamer Of President Jokowi's Political Heritage

JAKARTA The ceremony to commemorate Indonesian Independence Day on August 17 which will be held at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta and the State Capital (IKN) Nusantara is said to be an observer of public policy Trubus Rahadiansyah too forced and only to showcase President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) political heritage.

The ceremony for the 79th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia will certainly be held in two places for the first time. According to the Director General of Information and Public Communication (IKP) of the Ministry of Communication and Information Usman Kansong, the ceremony to celebrate the Republic of Indonesia's Independence Day at IKN for the first time is a symbol of preparing a more advanced Indonesia.

"It can be conveyed that this is a symbol of the transition of government and at the same time a symbol towards advanced Indonesia with the target of moving the nation's capital which will be completed in 2045 as a long-term project," Usman said, citing Antara.

However, the commemoration of the 79th Indonesian Independence Day which was held in two places caused an increase in the budget, as stated by Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, although according to him the increase in the budget was not significant.

According to a public policy observer from Trisakti University Trubus Rahadiansyah, organizing the Indonesian Independence Day at IKN is an event to showcase President Jokowi's political heritage at the end of his government.

Launching the website of the Ministry of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform (Menpan RB), President Jokowi said that IKN Nusantara was chosen as the location of the ceremony because Indonesia was in a transition period to the new capital city.

Jokowi said that if the ceremony was held in two places, the journey of moving the capital would be more pronounced. According to the plan, the RI Anniversary ceremony at IKN will be led by President Jokowi and Elected President Prabowo Subianto.

Meanwhile, the Elected Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka will lead the ceremony at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.

A total of 2,000 invitations were prepared for the RI Anniversary ceremony at IKN, which was divided into two sessions, namely for the morning flag-raising ceremony and during the afternoon flag-lowing ceremony. Likewise with the ceremony at the Merdeka Palace, which was prepared 3,000 invitations, with equal distribution for morning and evening.

However, residents around IKN are not allowed to attend the commemoration ceremony of the 79th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, according to the statement of the Regional Secretary (Sekda) of East Kalimantan Province, Sri Wahyuni. However, excitement can still be enjoyed up close and live broadcasts held by the provincial government in collaboration with districts/cities.

But the commemoration of the Indonesian Independence Day at IKN has received public attention. IKN, which is located in Penajam Paser Utara Regency, East Kalimantan, is considered too hasty because the infrastructure readiness is still being questioned.

One of the public's concerns is related to the budget for organizing the Indonesian Independence Day in two places. Minister of State Secretary (Mensesneg) Pratikno admitted that the costs for organizing the Republic of Indonesia's Independence Day this year swelled because it was held in two places at once, namely Jakarta and IKN.

"Because the current ceremony is held in two places, of course the budget is bigger than before," said Pratikno at the Ministry of State Secretariat Office, Jakarta, Tuesday (6/8/2024).

Pratikno said that the commemoration of the independence ceremony is financed every year by the state. He himself admitted that he was not aware of the increase in the budget for this year's ceremony. However, he claimed that the budget swelling was not significant.

As additional information, the findings of NGO Fitra in 2012 stated that the RI Anniversary commemoration cost up to Rp7.8 billion. For a state ceremonial event, the funds are quite fantastic.

Trubus Rahadiansyah said that the RI Anniversary ceremony in two places seemed forced, and only to show off Jokowi's political heritage. In addition, he also regretted the budget swelling because the ceremony was held in two places at once.

According to Trubus, the government should only hold an Indonesian Independence Day in Jakarta, where the infrastructure is clear, so that it can avoid budget swelling.

The implementation of August 17 should be carried out in one place, not in two places. For example, in Jakarta alone, the infrastructure is sufficient. If it is implemented at IKN, the impression is that it will force it because the infrastructure is still minimal, the cost is bigger, on the other hand local people are not allowed to participate in the August 17 ceremony," Trubus said.

"I see this is just showing off and Jokowi hopes that Prabowo will continue the construction of IKN, although until now Prabowo supporters are more focused on eating for free than IKN," he added.

The same thing was also expressed by a public policy observer from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Bayu Dardias Kurniadi. The increasing budget for holding this year's RI Anniversary is not solely for realizing President Jokowi's ambitions to build IKN.

For Bayu, the reason Jokowi insisted on holding the commemoration of the Republic of Indonesia's Independence Day at IKN was a political gamble for the continuation of the megaproject at the end of his term of office. Even though at the same time, the swelling of this budget seems to eliminate empathy for people who are experiencing economic difficulties.

"The condition of the middle class is currently slumped, there is an economic slowdown, on the other hand there is a glorification on August 17, this clearly hurts people's hearts," said Bayu.

"But this is Pak Jokowi's political gamble, he will do whatever it takes to realize the August 17 ceremony at IKN, and when it comes to politics, economic calculations, empathy, are numbers," he continued.

Bayu also predicts that the ceremony to commemorate the Independence Day of Indonesia at IKN will be continued in the coming years until the infrastructure in the new capital city is completely completed.