Indonesian president will finish out his final term working from future capital

Starting this week, outgoing Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will spend his last days in office working from Nusantara, the name for Indonesia’s future capital being built in Borneo, his spokesman announced Monday.   

Jokowi, who will hand the reins of government to President-elect Prabowo Subianto on Oct. 20, when his second and constitutionally mandated final term expires, will work from Nusantara until the eve of his successor’s inauguration, spokesman Hasan Nasbi said. 

The idea is to show that the presidential palace in Nusantara, which was completed last month, is ready for use, officials said. 

“The Garuda Palace, where the president will work as head of government, is prepared for occupancy. The president also wants to experience working in [Nusantara], as this represents his legacy,” Hasan told BenarNews.

“Cabinet meetings and briefings for the national military and police can be held at both the Garuda Palace and the State Palace in the [future capital],” Hasan said, adding that Jokowi would continue his visits to various parts of the country, departing from Nusantara as needed.

Jokowi considers the U.S. $32 billion project to construct the new capital on Borneo island, and relocate the current capital from Jakarta, on crowded Java island, his legacy project.

Slated for completion in 2045, Nusantara is planned to accommodate about 1.9 million residents in an area of about 1,000 square miles. But a lack of interest from foreign investors and problems with land acquisition have caused delays.

Heru Budi Hartono, the head of the presidential secretariat, did not clarify whether other government institutions or ministries would establish offices in Nusantara following Jokowi’s decision to work there. However, he noted that several presidential secretariat employees were already working in Nusantara to support Jokowi’s needs.

Jokowi had originally planned to relocate his office to Nusantara last month, but it was postponed due to delays in various infrastructure projects, such as airports and water channels.

In early August, Jokowi held his first cabinet meeting in the new capital. In his opening remarks, he called it a “special” session and emphasized that relocating the capital from Jakarta was a crucial step and a symbol of Indonesia’s progress.

On Aug. 17, Jokowi fulfilled his wish to hold an Independence Day ceremony in the new capital simultaneously with celebrations in Jakarta, despite facing criticism over budget overruns.

As he prepares to exit office next month, the president, during his decade in power, has also been criticized for overseeing a backsliding in Indonesia’s hard-won democratic gains since the fall of the dictator Suharto in 1998. Jokowi lately has been accused of maneuvering to retain his grip on power in some way or other.

For example, one of his sons, through a controversial court decision, was allowed to compete  through a change to age restrictions in the February general election as the running mate with Prabowo, a former Army general accused of involvement in past human rights atrocities.    

Last month, Jokowi reported that investment in Nusantara had reached Rp56.2 trillion ($3.6 billion), all from local investors. These investments span various sectors, including education, healthcare, energy, and technology, he said. 

Environmentalists have also raised concerns about the project’s impact on the surrounding rainforest and its biodiversity. 

Critics have also honed in on the project’s high cost, as the country faces other pressing needs, such as poverty alleviation and healthcare.

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Jokowi’s decision to work in the new capital until the end of his term shows Nusantara is a project that must not fail, said political observer Adi Prayitno from the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta.

If the Nusantara project fails, it could tarnish Jokowi’s political legacy, said Ujang Komarudin, a political observer from Al Azhar University Jakarta.

“Jokowi has a vested interest in maintaining his legacy,” Ujang said. “For Jokowi, having an office there is critical. If [Nusantara] fails, it would undermine his entire image and policies. His legacy would be in ruins.” 

But Jokowi’s decision to move the capital to Nusantara has created various problems and wasted state funds, said public policy expert Agus Pambagio.

“Imagine a cabinet meeting there. It’s actually burdensome and wasteful,” Agus told BenarNews. “There is no urgency to move to [Nusantara] other than to show the project’s completion and that the next president should also relocate there.”