Will Indonesia change its capital soon?

The Indonesian government plans to finish an assessment of potential alternative cities that might turn into Indonesia’s latest capital by the top of the yr.

National Development Planning Council (Bappenas) chief Bambang Brodjonegoro said the federal government is decided to maneuver Indonesia’s capital outside Java. He said Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan is one option. “It has to be outside Java,” Bambang said. “The final decision will be made this year.” The government put Palangkaraya on the list because former President Soekarno planned to maneuver the capital there.

Jakarta is the world’s second-largest urban area and has one in every of the fastest-growing economies, however the only strategy to expand is up or down – and the way in which down is proscribed by settling settlements.

After a long time of inaction, the Indonesian and Jakarta governments have launched overlapping projects: a metro system, a light-weight rail system, 900 latest buses this yr, an electronic toll collection system, an airport link, viaducts, six road corridors and restrictions on motorcycles.

Even essentially the most optimistic estimates suggest that these projects will reduce traffic in Jakarta by only 30 percent. The plan to maneuver Indonesia’s financial and administrative center out of Jakarta has been floated and shelved repeatedly over the a long time, but the thought has been revived and has supporters. Moving ministries, parliament and all 140 state-owned enterprises could possibly be the best solution.

“The largest state-owned enterprises, such as Pertamina and PLN, employ tens of thousands of workers. If they were to relocate their headquarters as well,” it might significantly reduce traffic, says Dono Boestami, who’s in command of constructing the rapid metro system for Greater Jakarta.

The proposal to maneuver the Indonesian capital from Jakarta to a different location has been discussed since Sukarno’s presidency and even earlier, throughout the Dutch colonial period. In fact, within the early twentieth century, the Dutch East Indies government attempted to maneuver the capital from Batavia (colonial Jakarta) to Bandung. In the 2010s, the thought of ​​moving the country’s capital or administrative center was reconsidered, mainly on account of environmental degradation and problems with overpopulation in Jakarta. Bandung, the planned capital throughout the Dutch colonial era, was ruled out, nevertheless, because the provincial capital of West Java itself is now overpopulated and affected by ecological collapse.

There are three most important alternative approaches to latest capital project:

1. Completely relocate the country’s capital, creating a wholly latest planned city, just like what was done in Brazil, which in 1960 moved its capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia, a planned city.
2. Create a separate administrative center and keep Jakarta because the official capital, just like how Malaysia moved its federal administrative center to Putrajaya.
3. Keep Jakarta because the capital and administrative center, just like Tokyo in Japan.

Since the thought was introduced, many provincial governments, governors, and regents have expressed interest in becoming hosts for the brand new capital. Here are some options for approaching the creation of the country’s latest capital:

If the primary option of making a wholly latest capital away from Jakarta were to be chosen, then the island of Kalimantan is taken into account an acceptable location. The island is vast and removed from the Indonesian tectonic boundary, meaning it is comparatively secure from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Proposed locations include:

1. Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. Since Palangkaraya was established because the capital of Central Kalimantan Province in 1957, Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, presented a plan to develop Palangkaraya as the longer term capital of Indonesia. Palangkaraya is way larger in area than Jakarta and is secure from the hazards of earthquakes and volcanoes, that are common on the island of Java.
2. Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. Compared to Palangkaraya, Banjarmasin is positioned closer to the middle of the country, has higher access to the Java Sea and higher infrastructure.
3. Kota Merdeka is a proposed planned city positioned north of Pangkalan Bun City, West Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan. Compared to the far-flung Palangkaraya, Kota Merdeka is closer to the coastal areas and has higher access to the Java Sea.
4. Pontianak, West Kalimantan. Ideally situated on the equator and strategically positioned on the Karimata Strait and the South China Sea, in the identical region as other ASEAN capitals corresponding to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bandar Seri Begawan. Despite its strategic location, the proposal has been criticized for its proximity to the Malaysian border and disputed areas within the South China Sea.
5. Between Balikpapan and Samarinda, East Kalimantan. According to the Governor of East Kalimantan, Awang Faroek Ishak, East Kalimantan has all the necessities to turn into the brand new capital of Indonesia. The region is positioned within the very center of Indonesia, on the Makassar Strait, which has turn into Indonesia’s second most important sea route, connecting Indonesia with East Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Japan and Australia. Endowed with wealthy natural resources, especially timber, coal, oil and liquefied natural gas, East Kalimantan has the natural and financial resources to construct an infrastructure worthy of the brand new capital of Indonesia.
6. Palembang, South Sumatra. The city has historical significance as the previous capital of the maritime empire of Srivijaya; symbolizing the return of the archipelago to its former glory. It can be strategically positioned near the most important sea route of the Strait of Malacca, and is near other ASEAN capitals: Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. However, the plan has been criticized for its geographical location within the west, which is just not the middle of the archipelago, and for its proximity to the Malaysian and Singaporean borders.

New administration center:
If Jakarta were to stay the official capital and the executive centres were to be moved elsewhere near Jakarta, suggested locations include:

1. Jonggol, West Java. Considered essentially the most realistic option for moving the capital, Jonggol is positioned just 40 kilometers southeast of Jakarta and has been the planned future capital of Indonesia since Suharto’s presidency. Jonggol is positioned in West Java Province, neighboring Jakarta.
2. Karawang, West Java, positioned about 60 kilometers east of Jakarta.[21]
   Kertajati, Majalengka Regency, West Java. It is positioned about 200 kilometers east of Jakarta and 40 kilometers west of Cirebon. The proposed planned capital shall be connected to the planned latest West Java Airport, Java Railway and Trans-Java Toll Road.
3. Maja, Lebak Regency, Banten. It is positioned about 60 kilometers west of Jakarta. Most of the Maja lands are already taken over by the federal government
4. Jakarta Bay, North Jakarta. This plan is just not to maneuver the capital away from Jakarta, but so as to add land to the north of Jakarta by reclaiming latest islands in Jakarta Bay. In 2013, Joko Widodo, then governor of Jakarta, proposed moving Indonesia’s administrative center to planned future reclaimed islands in Jakarta Bay. This plan is consistent with the planned Integrated Development of the National Capital Coast; the brand new administrative district shall be positioned on a Garuda-shaped island to be in-built Jakarta Bay.

So what do you think that?

Source and reference:

Dino Fanara (2006). Angel of the East Indies: A Biography of the Van Dooremolen Family

Silver, Christopher (2007). Planning the Megacity: Jakarta within the twentieth Century – Planning, History and Environment Series.

“Jakarta History”. Jakarta.go.id.

Hery H Winarno (20 April 2016). “The Story of Jokowi Wanting to Move the Capital to the Reclaimed Island”. Merdeka (in Indonesian).

Jakarta Post: Indonesia explores latest locations for capital

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