By : Indra Fajar Mahendra )*
Banjar residents and other native Kalimantan residents fully support the National Capital City (IKN) of the Archipelago. The existence of IKN in East Kalimantan is very encouraging because the Indonesian capital will be moved there. The local people of Borneo are grateful because with the existence of the IKN, the North Penajam Paser area and its surroundings were developed so that it becomes a modern area and has good infrastructure.
IKN will be moved to Kalimantan and the indigenous people there fully support the plan. With this transfer, there will be many positive changes because there is massive development. The hope is that people’s lives there will be better.
President Jokowi expressed his gratitude to the Malay-Banjar community for providing support for the development of IKN Nusantara. He wanted the Malay-Banjar community to be the masters in their own land. President Jokowi also hopes that the Malay-Banjar community and other native Kalimantan residents will play a role in the development of the Archipelago’s IKN.
As hosts, they must be involved in the IKN project. The support from the people of Kalimantan means a lot for the success of IKN development. Residents always pray that the IKN project will be completed quickly and on time. The people of East Kalimantan support the construction of a new IKN because they realize that this will advance their territory, especially representative roads so that people’s mobility will become smoother.
If there is support from the people of Borneo, it is certain that the transfer of the national capital will go well. There were no obstacles because all parties sincerely supported this transfer. As hosts, they will be friendly to newcomers. If there are workers who are also migrants, they will be warmly welcomed, resulting in mutually beneficial cooperation.
A traditional leader of the Dayak Kenyah who is also an elder in East Kalimantan, Drs Laden Mering, SH, MH, stated that the Dayak tribe really supports the development of the IKN in East Kalimantan. No society is against it. Laden also hopes that there will be Dayak figures who sit and be involved in the construction of the new capital because they can become the driving force for its development.
In a sense, the relocation of the national capital is fully supported by many parties. Not only the local government in North Penajam Paser, but also the Dayak people as native citizens of East Kalimantan. If there is support, the transfer will certainly run smoothly because there are no conflicts.
Efforts to minimize conflict are indeed very important because relocation should not lead to war between tribes. If there is support from the Dayak people themselves, there will be no friction due to SARA or competition between immigrants and natives.
Communities in East Kalimantan will support and oversee the construction of the National Archipelago Institute until the project is 100% complete. IKN is a giant project so it cannot be done in just a few months. However, residents are also optimistic that the project will run on time and nothing will stall.
Development at IKN Nusantara is not only in physical form but also social development. The government is trying to have assimilation between immigrants and native people of Kalimantan. Moreover, currently in East Kalimantan the population is not only Dayak or Banjar people, but there have been migrants who have lived since the New Order era. The people of East Kalimantan already have Unity in Diversity and have a sense of unity.
The people of East Kalimantan are not worried about being left out when there are migrants there. The reason is because there is a wave of immigrants from Java, who work in the government sector and other sectors. They don’t need to worry because the government has thought of a way for them to continue working as usual. The indigenous people of Borneo are guaranteed and will not be marginalized.
President Jokowi continued, the transfer of IKN Nusantara was not just moving physically, but creating a new way of thinking and working. This is an effort so that Indonesia can compete with other countries.
In a sense, local residents of Kalimantan feel grateful because with the existence of IKN Nusantara, there is not only infrastructure development and other physical development. There will be development of human resources (HR) capable of creating new mindsets. With the development of human resources, the people of Kalimantan will be more advanced, smarter, and have a better standard of living.
The indigenous people of Kalimantan are very supportive of the development of the National Archipelago Institute. They feel proud because the capital city of Indonesia has been moved to Kalimantan. With the existence of IKN Nusantara, there will be massive infrastructure development and development of human resources so that local residents are more advanced, smarter, and able to develop their regions well.
)* The author is a contributor to Nusantara Reading Room