The acceleration of the National Capital City Development Project (IKN) is a concrete step by the government in optimizing development in Indonesia. Moreover, the development of the IKN is Indonesia’s pride in the eyes of the world, so don’t let the construction of the IKN stop.
Relocating the IKN location from Jakarta to North Penajam Paser was the government’s wishful thinking for a long time, even moving the IKN was also Bung Karno’s dream as Indonesia’s first president. At that time President Soekarno was inaugurating the Soekarno Monument in Palangkaraya City, Central Kalimantan in 1957, at that time it was widely heard that Bung Karno was planning to move the capital city from Jakarta to that city. However, it was during the era of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) that the progress of the development of the IKN began to accelerate by establishing North Penajam Paser.
As progress continues, of course qualified human resources are needed, because the quality of human resources will determine their ability to contribute to development and benefit from the relocation and development of the new national capital. Of course the absorption of human resources will have an impact on the absorption of labor and the vibrant economy around the IKN development project.
The IKN development project can be said to be a bet on Indonesia’s good name in the international arena. Moreover, President Jokowi has several times promoted IKN Nusantara to world investors, so much so that he asked for the help of the former British prime minister, Tony Blair, to promote it internationally. Jokowi also said that whoever will lead Indonesia in the future, the development of the National Archipelagic Sciences will continue and investment will remain safe and sustainable.
Director of the Center for Economic and Law Studies (Celios) Bima Yudhistira said, if the project fails or does not go ahead, Indonesia’s reputation in the eyes of the world will decline. Investors will also think again because it turns out that Indonesia is not technically ready, in terms of basic infrastructure to build IKN. That is the basis that the IKN project should indeed be continued, at least IKN is modified from the initial plan as the capital city to become a presidential palace complex. Thus, the form of the archipelago will still exist.
Of course the struggle to build IKN must continue even though Jokowi will no longer serve as President of the Republic of Indonesia. Moreover, continuity and sustainability are needed in the struggle to bring about fair and equitable development.
The acceleration of the IKN development project is of course not without reason, especially now that Indonesia’s economic structure is spatially still dominated by Java Island which contributes 56.48% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). With the transfer of the capital city to East Kalimantan, of course, economic growth and circulation of money will automatically expand, not only centered on the island of Java. The level of population of residents will also shift.
On the other hand, the acceleration of IKN development needs to be accelerated because the current condition of Jakarta is classified as worrying as the national capital and government capital. Problems such as traffic jams, air pollution, annual floods are problems that have not been resolved properly. So that it required an area far from the ring of fire and not prone to disasters, East Kalimantan was chosen as the capital city of the archipelago, where one of the criteria for its location was in the middle of Indonesian territory.
Of course moving the capital city is not an easy thing like turning the palm of the hand, this project certainly requires careful calculations to make it happen. Not to mention the political aspects and various other dynamics that have emerged. That is why Jokowi said it took courage to execute him.
By moving the IKN to East Kalimantan, Jokowi hopes that people will not only focus on Java to make a living. Thus, it is hoped that the burden on the islands of Java and Jakarta will not become even heavier. Moreover, Indonesia has 17 thousand islands, where the spread of the population is still concentrated on the island of Java.
In addition, the President also stressed that the transfer of IKN to Kalimantan was Indonesia’s step to build a new work culture, mindset and economic base. According to the President, as a big country, Indonesia must have the courage to have a big agenda to move forward for the progress of the nation. Of course, if you don’t have the courage to start the transformation from now on, it will be difficult for Indonesia to become a developed country at any time.
The development of IKN in Kalimantan is of course not merely moving the center of government or simply moving buildings. Not just looking for a strategic location, not just designing a beautiful architectural design. But they must have a big vision for the future, one of the visions is to become a compact and modern smart metropolis.
The acceleration of the development of the IKN does not only move administratively, but also acts as a step to advance the nation and realize the ideals of the Indonesian people, namely, even distribution of development. Because actually building IKN is building civilization.
