Jokowi Talks of IKN's Fate after Leaving Presidency
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2 November 2023 20:55 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has spoken out about the fate of the country’s new capital city, IKN after he ends his mandate as head of state in 2024. He emphasized that the project has been enshrined in a law supported by 93 percent of the party factions in the House of Representatives (DPR), dismissing public concerns that it would be halted.
The revision of Law No. 3/2022 concerning the National Capital was just enacted on Oct. 31, 2023, becoming Law No. 21/2023. Article 24 (3) states that the IKN development and relocation process is classified as a national priority program for a minimum period of 10 years.
“What else? 93 percent [of the factions support it],” the President said optimistically after leading the groundbreaking ceremony of the solar power plant project at IKN, East Kalimantan, on Thursday, Nov. 2.
Yusuf Wibisono, an economist and director of the Institute for Demographic and Poverty Studies (IDEAS), opined on Monday, Oct. 30, that IKN is Jokowi's most problematic legacy, which will weigh heavily on whoever is elected in the upcoming election in February 2024.
Earlier on Thursday, Nov. 2. while opening the 100 Kompas CEO Forum at IKN, Jokowi also brushed aside people’s concerns, stressing that the giant project would continue after the 2024 election.
The government planned to relocate the country's capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan starting in 2024. The construction of several projects has reportedly commenced in 2022.
Jokowi said the time it would take to develop the IKN would also depend on private participation. According to him, the government only plays 20 percent of the role. “It could take 15 years, 20 years, or 10 years if the private sector gives a lot of support,” he said.
DANIEL A. FAJRI
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