TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko highlighted that the government transition from President Joko Widodo or Jokowi to President-elect Prabowo Subianto is 'in the same line'. Thus, there’s no need to worry about the sustainability of the new capital city of Nusantara, or IKN, project.

"It’s an in-line transition, not a disruptive or distorted one. So don’t worry about IKN’s sustainability,” he said on Tuesday, August 6, 2024.

Speculation about Prabowo's hesitation to continue the new capital construction arose because Jokowi’s mega project could strain the State Budget. Moreover, Prabowo Subianto, which will be inaugurated on October 20, also has a flagship program: the free meal program.

The government already allotted Rp71 trillion for the free meal program in the 2025 State Budget Bill. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, on the other hand, could not confirm the allocation for IKN in the bill.

Sri Mulyani said IKN’s budget will be revealed in the Financial Note on August 16, while Prabowo’s team will convey the free meal budget.

Moeldoko said he did not know exactly how much the budget allocation for IKN in 2025. However, he acknowledged that the budget will depend on the new government and its priorities.

From 2022 to the end of 2024, the government would have spent Rp72 trillion for IKN construction. IKN Authority has also proposed an additional budget of Rp29.8 trillion for next year. This proposal was submitted by the Acting Deputy Head of the IKN Authority, Raja Juli Antoni, during a meeting with Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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