Nusantara: Indonesia’s costly ‘symbol of progress’ set for inauguration
Al Jazeera
The new capital is the pet project of outgoing President Joko Widodo and is taking shape on the island of Borneo.
Medan, Indonesia – Nusantara, the future capital city of Indonesia, will be inaugurated on the country’s Independence Day on Saturday, as the country looks to replace Jakarta, which has served as the capital since Indonesia declared independence from the Dutch in 1945.
A heaving metropolis of at least 11 million residents, Jakarta is plagued by some of the world’s worst traffic jams, thick smog and overcrowding.
It is also reportedly sinking due to unregulated groundwater extraction, and Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency has warned that by 2050, about 25 percent of the city could be submerged.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, first announced his surprise plan to move the capital to the jungles of East Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of Borneo island during his annual address to the nation on August 16, 2019.
“A capital city is not just a symbol of national identity, but also a representation of the progress of the nation,” Jokowi said. “This is for the realisation of economic equality and justice.”
