By: Nana Gunawan )*
Election voting has just been held and the Indonesian people are now waiting for the results from the General Election Commission (KPU). Regarding this, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) through the Political Research Center (PR) guarantees that the IKN Nusantara megaproject will continue, especially considering the impact after the 2024 election.
Researcher from the BRIN Political Research Center, Dini Suryani, said that 12 of the 17 parties participating in the general election supported the continued development of IKN Nusantara. The IKN project will continue in the next Government work program. Dini also emphasized that the Government will continue to recognize the existence of indigenous or local communities in order to guarantee their basic rights.
The government ensures that the IKN development process prioritizes democracy and is carried out by involving the participation of local communities. The government also ensures that the IKN development process will not add to the already heavy environmental burden in the region or ensure the restoration of the environment affected by the development.
President Joko Widodo asked the public to stop worrying about the fate of the IKN Nusantara development after the change of Indonesian leaders in 2024. The potential for failure of the IKN Nusantara megaproject is very small because the law already exists and has been supported by 93 percent of the party factions in the DPR. . With the capital of the law, it is certain that IKN development can continue until 2045.
Head of the Archipelago Capital Authority (OIKN) Bambang Susantono stated that many investors from abroad asked about the continuation of the IKN development project after the 2024 Election. Bambang emphasized that until now, the IKN development project continues because it has a valid legal basis through the Law. -Law Number 3 of 2022.
Bambang continues to assure investors that IKN development will continue because the regulations already exist and are strong enough to guarantee the continuity of IKN development.
Bambang Susantono also revealed the latest progress of IKN development, that currently IKN development is entering phase I from 2022-2024 or the transfer of the initial stage to government functions with a target population of around 260,000 people. Then, Phase II development will take place from 2025 to 2029. It is at this stage that the core area of IKN Nusantara will begin to be built, including expanding the transportation network, settlements, developing research and talent areas.
Then, in phase III in 2030-2034, progressive development will begin, including for integrated utilities, industrial areas, and strengthening smart cities. Next, entering phase IV from 2035 to 2039, comprehensive development will begin for the infrastructure and ecosystem of the three cities. This development also aims to accelerate the development of Kalimantan.
And the final stage is stage V in 2040-2045 where development will focus on strengthening IKN’s reputation as a world city for everyone. The total investment entering IKN from non-APBD to date is IDR 42.5 trillion. Bambang explained that there are 33 private companies and non-government institutions that have started development at IKN. The Authority has also received 344 statements of investment interest (LOIs). So, both investors and other related parties do not need to worry about the fate of the IKN project because there is already legal standing which contains certainty about the development of the Indonesian IKN.
In line with this, the Secretary of the IKN Authority, Achmad Jaka Santos Adiwijaya, added that IKN had carried out groundbreaking four times from September 2023 to January 2024. He also noted that there were already three large hospitals that would be built in IKN Nusantara, namely Abdi Waluyo Hospital, RS Hermina, and Mayapada Hospital. Apart from that, Jaka assessed that IKN Nusantara received global support because it would bring global change, namely climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development goals .
IKN Nusantara is the first or even the only city in Indonesia to have a roadmap for climate change and to overcome the impacts of climate change. IKN will also become a 10 minute city where people in IKN Nusantara are targeted to be able to commute by foot with a travel time of 10 minutes. A toll road will also be built in IKN. This toll road will provide an estimated travel time from residential areas to the airport of only around 45 minutes.
Therefore, the Indonesian people are asked not to hesitate in providing their support for the continued development of IKN Nusantara, especially when the elections are over, because the support from the international community is extraordinary for IKN to invest in the new capital city.
In this way, it is certain that the construction of IKN Nusantara will continue until it is completed in 2045. All parties, including the public, investors and other related parties, do not need to worry. Even though the leadership of the President of Indonesia will change, the development of IKN after the 2024 elections will not be stopped in order to move towards a Golden Indonesia 2045.
)* The author is an Economic Observer at the Nusa Bangsa Institute.
