Budget For The August 17 Ceremony At IKN Swells, Observer: Jokowi's Ambition

Rupiah (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Finance noted that the budget for celebrating the commemoration ceremony of the 79th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia in the capital city of Nusantara (IKN) of East Kalimantan, reached Rp. 87 billion.

"This year we have prepared a budget of IDR 87 billion for 17 activities at IKN," said Director General of Budget of the Ministry of Finance Isa Rachmatarwata at a press conference on our State Budget in July 2024, Tuesday, August 13.

Isa said that the realization of the budget for the implementation of Indonesian Independence Day activities at IKN was higher when compared to the celebration budget in Jakarta last year which reached Rp53 billion.

"Compared to last year's Jakarta, it was Rp53 billion," he said.

Then, it invites contra from various circles. Starting from the public to observers. Public Policy observer Agus Pambagio assessed that the commemoration of the Republic of Indonesia's Independence Day at IKN was just the wish of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

"That, right, Jokowi's request, yes, it's up to the President. He really wants it, it must be obeyed," Agus told VOI, Tuesday, August 13.

He considered that at first Jokowi asked 8,000 guests to attend the commemoration of the ceremony at IKN. However, he said, currently the number of invited guests who attended was only around 2,000.

"In the past, right, 8,000 guests there (IKN) wanted to sleep where they wanted to sleep, where did they stand, what did they go up? Yes, now that's it, yes, you must rent a vehicle, bring a bus, what was the cost, invite guests, give a ticket, pay for the hotel. It's definitely not paid later. There must be an event organizer (EO), there is a sub-contractor," he said.

Thus, continued Agus, in the end the commemoration of the 79th Indonesian Independence Day at IKN was just Jokowi's 'ambition' without thinking about its impact on various things.

"Yes, it is. Whose ambition is gone, there is no other ambition. Two years of being told to move where there is. In the world, there are no two years of moving, in fact moving goat cages. They moved the capital city," said Agus.

According to Agus, the hasty infrastructure development has also become a polemic at this time. He considered that construction workers at IKN had not been paid until now.

"Look now it's like making infrastructure, all of that, right, tortureing people who do it (because) they haven't been paid. Then everything, right, hurry up to build a toll road. (Because) the treatment was finally very expensive. So what? The person whose head (Jokowi) is already there, who can prohibit who," he said.

"We'll see ego-ego which is so high, I don't think. We'll see," concluded Agus.