President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo of Indonesia announced yesterday that he intends to start working from the country’s new capital city next month. This comes in an effort to ease concerns about the project’s future, following the resignations of the top two officials overseeing its construction.
During a visit to the site of Nusantara, the $32 billion city, Jokowi assured journalists that the city would be officially inaugurated during Indonesia’s Independence Day celebrations in August. He mentioned that he would begin working from the new presidential palace as soon as the water supply is connected.
While speaking in front of the construction site for the city’s Presidential Palace, Jokowi expressed optimism about the office, stating that they are waiting for the water connection in July.
On his visit to the new capital, Jokowi is also inaugurating various construction projects like a water reservoir and attending groundbreaking ceremonies for schools and universities.
Nusantara is located in the hills of East Kalimantan, over 1,300 kilometers away from the current capital Jakarta. The new city aims to be a smart, green city with renewable energy sources and environmentally-friendly waste management. Construction of the city began in mid-2022.
Despite the resignations of the top officials overseeing the construction, Jokowi reassured that the city’s infrastructure is around 80 percent complete. The airport is expected to be finished in August, and the first batch of civil servants is set to be relocated to the city in September.
President-elect Prabowo Subianto has pledged to continue the project through completion, with potential alterations to the city’s scope and design.