The Relocation Of The New Nation's Capital City Is Considered To Have Political Nuances

DPR Plenary Session/Photo: VOI

JAKARTA - Chairman of Commission B of the DKI DPRD from the PKS faction, Abdul Aziz, doubts that the transfer of the national capital from DKI Jakarta Province to East Kalimantan will run smoothly.

He views that so far it is difficult for countries to move their capital cities over long distances.

"I don't think it's simple. We learn from history that countries that have moved their capital cities more than 100 kilometers have never succeeded," Aziz said when contacted, Wednesday, January 19.

According to him, the relocation of the government structure from infrastructure development to human resources (HR) has problems that are not simple. Then, the budget is also very large.

Aziz also accused the relocation of the capital city as mere political jargon from the administration of President Joko Widodo.

"We want to move the capital city, with such a long distance, with all its complexities. I'm afraid this will only become political jargon which is starting to roll around now because later it will be difficult to implement," he said.

As is known, the government and the DPR have confirmed the plan to move the state capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan by ratifying the Draft Law on the State Capital (RUU IKN) into law.

The approval was taken at the 13th plenary meeting of the DPR RI for the third trial period 2021-2022 which was held with the government on Tuesday, January 18.

The initial stage of relocating IKN to East Kalimantan takes place in 2022-2024, namely in the form of major infrastructure development such as the presidential palace, MPR/DPR buildings, and housing in main areas.

In the IKN pocket book, it is even written that there was an initial transfer of state civil apparatus (ASN), including the TNI, Polri, and MPR, until the president moved to the new capital before August 16, 2024.

The next phase of relocation will take place in 2025-2035 through core development, such as the development of the next phase of the city in the form of an innovation center to developing priority economic sectors.

At this stage, the government is targeting the completion of the transfer of the central government to East Kalimantan, meaning that the transfer must be completed in a maximum of 13 years.

The next stage in 2035-2045 is the development of the entire infrastructure and ecosystem of the three cities to accelerate the development of East Kalimantan, including increasing connectivity between and within cities. The government even targets that at this stage IKN can become the number one foreign investment destination and enter the top five main destinations in Southeast Asia for global talent. In 2045 and beyond, the government projects IKN to achieve net zero-carbon emission by using 100 percent of renewable energy at capacity installed. Unmitigated, the government has set it to be the first city in the world with a population of over 1 million people to achieve this target-even though Indonesia is still very dependent on fossil energy.