TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is gearing up to relocate its capital to another island, as planned since 2019. Once finalized, the capital city would be located in East Kalimantan.

This, however, won't be the first time Indonesia relocates its capital to a city other than Jakarta. During its fight for independence, the nation changed its capital several times. From 1946 to 1949, Indonesia had three different capital cities.

1. Yogyakarta

Citing dpad.jogjaprov.go.id, Yogyakarta had acted as Indonesia's capital for three years. On September 29, 1945, after Indonesia proclaimed independence, Jakarta fell to the Dutch. At that time, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX proposed to temporarily relocate the capital to Yogyakarta. The proposal was accepted by President Soekarno, and Yogyakarta officially became the state's capital from January 4, 1946, to December 17, 1949.

2. Bukittinggi

As stated in Bukittinggikota.go.id, the second-largest city in West Sumatra was named as the republic's Emergency Government Capital (PDRI) replacing Yogyakarta, which fell into the hands of the Dutch from December 1948 to June 1949 during the second Dutch military aggression. As leaders, including Soekarno, were arrested and exiled, Syafrudin Prawiranegara, who served as the Indonesian Minister of Prosperity, was appointed to run the government from Bukittinggi.

3. Bireuen

The city of Bireuen in Aceh served as Indonesia's capital city for just one week starting June 18, 1948. The decision was made as Bireun was considered relatively safe geographically, as the area was surrounded by hills that acted as a natural fortress protecting the government during the volatile period of Indonesia's fight for independence.

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RISMA DAMAYANTI