Gov't Urged to Form Special Agency for Capital City Relocation

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Home Affairs Ministry's director of regional autonomy Soni Sumarsono, argued that the government should immediately form a special agency to express its seriousness on moving the capital city.

"The Aceh reconstruction in the past needed a rehabilitation and reconstruction agency, moreover the upcoming one that intends to relocate the capital city," said Soni in a discussion on Thursday, May 9, 2019.

The current Home Affairs Ministry's acting-director of regional autonomy Akmal Malik, said that he will consider the idea and explore the best option on how to implement the suggestion. Currently, Akmal said that the government is faced with two options. First, to form the agency in parallel to the master plan. Second, to form the agency after drafting a master plan.

"Ideally there should be an agency, that is essential," he said.

Recently, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo was reported touring Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan in search of an ideal location for the new capital city. The President revealed that the capital city relocation has been in talks internally for the past three years.

"We are serious in this matter because from three years ago, we have proposed the idea in an internal meeting. Then one and a half years ago, we asked Bappenas [National Development Planning Agency] to conduct more detailed studies from the economic, social-politics, and environmental side," said the President.

DEWI NURITA