By: Jeremiah Kogoya )*
The government continues to discuss the transfer scheme of the National Capital. In addition to reducing the density of Jakarta, the removal of the National Capital is needed to accelerate the equitable distribution of development and public welfare.
President Joko Widodo has said that the relocation of the national capital is now very urgent. This is because there are considerations that the burden of Jakarta as the center of government and business is at the same time a burden.
So the government does not want to make this heavy burden increase and is constantly being borne by the Jakarta Province.
For this reason, the former mayor of Surakarta decided to move the capital city from Jakarta to East Kalimantan Province.
Of course the decision taken is arguably surprising, because the relocation of the Capital City is a big event for Indonesia.
He also said, the relocation of the capital city could be a momentum for Indonesia in giving beautiful gifts to the world. Therefore, the former Governor of DKI Jakarta wants this new capital city not merely to move the center of government.
In fact, according to him, this new capital must be able to rival Dubai, which is famous for the slogan of The Happiness City in the Earth. Because, Jokowi wants this new capital to be the best city in the world.
So in addition to moving the central government, also must reinstall the entire system. All existing systems in the old Capital City must begin to be abandoned and replaced by new systems that are better and more modern. Later the new capital will also implement a smart capital, green and beautiful city.
On a different occasion, Urban Planning expert Yayat Supriatna stated that moving the State Capital out of Java would have an extraordinary economic impact, which was to increase national economic growth by 0.1% to 0.2%.
He also stated that the removal of the National Capital could reduce regional disparities. The relocation of the capital outside Java can certainly encourage trade between regions, especially trade between Java and regions outside Java, and between regions outside Java.
The national capital is certainly a barometer of other cities in Indonesia, of course the new capital must be able to reflect a civilization rooted in the pluralistic cultural values of Indonesian people based on Pancasila values.
Building a national capital not only builds government buildings, but also develops a new order of life.
Ace Hasan Syadzily as a politician from the Golkar Party faction said that moving the capital to Kalimantan was a wise solution to reduce problems in Jakarta, one of which was the problem of congestion.
In addition there are still many other problems, such as population, to land subsidence resulting in flooding.
According to him, the talk of moving the capital had been carried out in the era of the Previous President, it’s just that the discourse of moving the capital of the Jokowi era was far more advanced by mentioning clearer areas, namely parts of North Penajam Regency and Kutai Kertanegara Regency, East Kalimantan.
Politically, the policy of moving the capital city also has a positive impact on President Jokowi, if the transfer can be executed within his leadership for the next 5 years.
The planned transfer of the capital will cost around Rp 323 trillion to Rp 466 trillion. However, the government will involve SOEs and the private sector and ensure that the relocation of the capital city does not overburden the state budget.
Meanwhile, the relocation of the capital city was also seen as an effort to avoid conflict. Turro Wongkaren as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Economics and Business UI stated, in terms of demographics, East Kalimantan has a higher human growth index compared to South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, even with other regions in Indonesia.
In addition, the tribes in East Kalimantan are richer compared to other provinces that are candidates for the new Capital. This is certainly the reason why East Kalimantan was chosen as the Capital City of Indonesia.
To facilitate Indonesia in conducting various collaborations, the government has invited three international figures as the steering council for the development of the new nation’s capital. The three are Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Former British prime minister Tony Blair.
The relocation of the New Capital City is certainly expected to steal the attention of the world, where Indonesia will have a Capital City that applies sophisticated technology.
)* The writer is a Papuan student living in Jakarta