JAKARTA – Indonesian President Joko Widodo will from Sept 12 spend the final weeks of his term in the country’s planned new capital, Nusantara, amid doubts about the continued pace of development of his flagship US$32 billion (S$42 billion) mega project.
The massive infrastructure undertaking on the island of Borneo has suffered a series of setbacks, including construction delays, land issues and a lack of foreign investment. This June, the two top officials overseeing Nusantara abruptly resigned.
Mr Widodo reiterated on Sept 12 that it could be decades before Nusantara is finished.
“It could take 10, 15 or even 20 years,” Mr Widodo told top military and police officials during a meeting at Nusantara’s recently completed eagle-shaped palace.
“Moving to the new capital is not only about moving to a new building, palace or location,” he added. “But it is a change of mindset and working patterns.”
Intended to ease the burden on the congested, polluted and densely populated current capital Jakarta, Parliament passed a law to move its capital in 2022.
But ahead of the Oct 20 inauguration of President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Mr Widodo’s eldest son, Vice-President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, doubts have grown about Nusantara’s future viability.
Analysts say the development of Nusantara is unlikely to continue at the same breakneck speed in the next administration.
Mr Prabowo, who ran on a platform of continuing Mr Widodo’s policies, is expected to prioritise his own signature US$28 billion “free nutritious food programme” targeting malnutrition and stunted growth in schoolchildren across the world’s fourth-most populous nation.
Mr Widodo told officials on Sept 12 that Mr Prabowo has promised to speed up construction.
Located on the eastern side of Borneo island, Nusantara is about 1,200km from Jakarta.
Nusantara’s presidential palace and its first hotel were recently completed, while housing for state officials, an airport and toll roads are still under way.
On Sept 13, Mr Widodo is expected to hold his second Cabinet meeting at Nusantara and may announce several new investments. REUTERS
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Publish date : 2024-09-11 22:08:00
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