Regarding IKN, President Jokowi Says It's Valid Legally And Politically, Don't Debate Again

President Jokowi at the NasDem Building/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) asked that the relocation of the state capital (IKN) to the island of Kalimantan should no longer be contested, because it had been approved in the plenary session of the House of Representatives (DPR).

"In our political system it is clear that the law (Law Number 3 of 2022 concerning the State Capital) has been approved by the DPR and eight factions out of nine existing factions have approved, it should not be contested anymore, it should be," said President Jokowi while attending the inauguration of the Nasdem Tower, as monitored online in Jakarta, Tuesday, February 22.

The President acknowledged that the plan to move IKN from Jakarta to East Kalimantan did indeed reap the pros and cons. This is common with the idea of a major change or transformation in a country, he added.

He explained that the transfer of IKN is aimed at equitable access to infrastructure, economic benefits, and social justice in Indonesia.

The President also explained that currently, as much as 58 percent of Indonesia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) originates from the island of Java, with the most dominant area being DKI Jakarta. Java with areas outside Java.

"This is why the move of the capital city has been initiated for a long time. In 1957, Bung Karno had the desire to move from Jakarta to Palangkaraya, but was hampered by political upheaval, so the idea was not carried forward," he said.

The idea of relocating the IKN had also surfaced during the reign of the 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto.

"Mr. Harto also had the same idea of moving the capital city, but shifted slightly to Jonggol in West Java," he added.

Meanwhile, based on population size, inequality also occurs, because as much as 56 percent of the population in Indonesia resides on the island of Java.

"Our country is a big country, we have 17,000 islands, 514 regencies, and cities, 34 provinces. If we look at the population, 56 percent are in Java, 56 percent (or) 156 million Indonesians are in Java, even though we have 17,000 islands," said the President.

The transfer of IKN to Kalimantan Island already has a legal umbrella in the form of Law Number 3 of 2022 concerning IKN. On January 18, 2022, the Plenary Session of the DPR approved the Draft IKN Law to be ratified into the IKN Law, which was then signed by President Jokowi on February 15, 2022.