Jokowi: Relocating to New Capital IKN Not as Easy as Imagined

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's President Joko Widodo or Jokowi said that the relocation of the State Civil Apparatus (ASN) and the plan to have a permanent office in the new capital would depend on the readiness of the facilities. Jokowi reiterated that the IKN was a long-term project.

"So it's not as easy as we imagine to move and relocate immediately because it depends on whether the house or apartment is ready," Jokowi said after inaugurating the Djuanda Flyover, Sidoarjo Regency, East Java, on Friday, September 6, as quoted from the Presidential Secretariat video.

"I think we will only move when everything is really ready. Myself included. Moving requires full readiness," the president said. 

Earlier, the Minister of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform, Abdullah Azwar Anas, confirmed that the plan to move ASN to IKN this month has been postponed. He explained that the move is not just about moving offices, but about changing the culture and digital infrastructure.

Originally, ASN was supposed to move to the IKN in September this year. The government now promises that 47 residential towers will be completed by November.

"[The president's] latest directive is not to rush, to wait for the completion of digital infrastructure and others," Azwar Anas said after a meeting on govtech with Jokowi at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, September 3, 2024.

Azwar Anas did not provide a clear timeline for how long the ASN relocation will be postponed. However, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle politician said the government already has a relocation plan in place while waiting for the housing and offices to be fully completed.

Jokowi's plan to work in the IKN was previously revealed by Minister Basuki. The acting head of the IKN agency said that Jokowi would likely move to the IKN in September this year, and that the head of state would work from the IKN once the airport construction is completed early in the same month.

Jokowi's plan to work in the IKN was previously revealed by Minister Basuki. The acting head of the IKN agency said that Jokowi would likely move to the IKN in September this year, and that the head of state would work from the IKN once the airport construction is completed in early September.

So far, progress on the IKN airport runway has reached only 1,100 meters out of a preliminary target of 2,200 meters. "If it doesn't rain, the construction of the 2,200-meter runway is expected to be completed on September 2. "So we continue to count down," he had said on August 23, 2024.

DANIEL A.FAJRI

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