TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is in the process of moving its capital city from Jakarta to East Kalimantan starting this year. Several other countries have done the same. Many have succeeded, but some have failed. The following is the list of countries that are considered to have failed in moving their capital, compiled by Tempo from various sources:

1. Myanmar

Myanmar decided to move its capital city from Yangon to Naypyidaw. The plan was announced in 2001 and completed in 2005. Naypyidaw is functioned as the city administration. All government operations were transferred to the city in 2006. Although all the infrastructure had been built, including connecting roads, hotels, and shopping malls, the new capital was deserted. This failure was caused by the lack of public participation in the design, creation, and relocation of the capital.

2. Australia

Melbourne and Sydney once competed to become the capital of Australia. To quell the competition between the two cities, the authorities built Canberra as the new capital in 1913. Canberra has functioned as an administrative center, where Parliament House and the High Court were built, as well as central offices for all federal and military departments.

In 1996, Prime Minister John Howard announced to the public that he had decided to move to Kirribilli House, overlooking Sydney Harbour. Australians saw this as a tacit admission of the failure of the capital move. Even former Prime Minister Paul Keating said that Canberra was one of Australia's biggest mistakes and should be abandoned immediately.

3. Malaysia

In 1999, Malaysia decided to move its capital to Putrajaya as an administrative city. But the relocation was considered a failure because Malaysian government employees were reluctant to move to the new capital. Although the distance between the two cities was not too far, they were reluctant to move because of family reasons. In addition, although the Prime Minister's Office has moved to Putrajaya, the business center and the parliament building are still in Kuala Lumpur.

4. Kazakhstan

In 1997, Kazakhstan moved its capital from Almaty to Astana because the former city was already too crowded and prone to earthquakes. Kazakhstan was said to have suffered from economic pressure after moving its capital to Astana. In addition, its people were reluctant to move to the new capital, so only the state apparatus resided in Astana.

5. Tanzania

Tanzania moved its capital from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma in the 1970s. However, the move was considered a failure due to the slow development of the new capital, and Dar es Salaam actually developed more. Although the National Assembly of Tanzania was moved to Dodoma, all foreign embassies and government offices are still located in Dar es Salaam.

HENDRIK KHOIRUL MUHID

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