Indonesia will build a new capital. Nusantara will be built on the island of Borneo

In the Indonesian language, the word “Nusantara” means “archipelago”.

Indonesia’s Minister of Development Planning Suharso Munwarva informed Parliament that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) agreed to elect the name. Soeharsu revealed that about 80 proposals were selected, including the Negara Jaya (which means “great”, “victorious” or “rich” country) and Nusantara Jaya. Before making the decision, the presidential team had to consult with historians and linguists.

During the meeting of the planning committee for the new capital, Minister Soeharso said that the name chosen is simple, well described the Indonesian archipelago and did not raise any dispute.

The cost of building the future capital for a country of over 270 million people is estimated to be 466 trillion rupees ($32 billion).. Nusantara will replace the crowded environmental problems facing Jakarta as the administrative center. This city of nearly 11 million people is increasingly suffering from flooding, and in the future, the city will be threatened by rising sea levels.

In 2019, President Jokowi announced that by the end of his term, he would move the country’s administrative center from Jakarta to the island of Borneo, located near the geographical center of the archipelago. The city, with a target population of about 6-7 million, will be built between the capital of East Kalimantan province, Samarinda, and the nearby port city of Balikpapan.

Today, less than 4 million people live in the entire territory. The government is portraying Nusantara as the engine of economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Its construction is expected to create jobs and development in parts of Indonesia far from Java, where economic activity is currently concentrated.

Critics of the project point to, among other things, running The danger it may pose to the environment, including the Borneo orangutan population, and the risk of wildfires. The ceremonial cornerstone of the first shovel was supposed to be laid in 2020, but it was delayed due to the pandemic. However, the government has not yet changed the official timetable under which Jakarta government offices will move to Borneo in several phases, starting in 2024. Conceptual and preparatory work has been underway in the new capital since at least 2020.

In early January, Nyoman Nurta, the famous Balinese sculptor and designer of the future government headquarters to be built in Nusantara, announced on his Instagram profile that the government had approved his concept, which was inspired by the legendary bird Garuda in an Indonesian coat. arms. Most of the funding for the massive Indonesian project is expected to come from international private investors. The heir to the throne of Abu Dhabi, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will chair the project’s steering committee. The authorities also said that Korean-Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be seated there.