This influential Muslim country is shifting its capital from world-famous city; It is…, the reason…
New Delhi: Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, is changing its capital. Jakarta is the current capital. However, Nusantara is now being redesignated as the capital. Former President Joko Widodo initiated this new capital project three years ago, aiming to replace the polluted, overcrowded, and sinking Jakarta.
Under the leadership of new President Prabowo Subianto, who assumed office last October, government funding for the project has been reduced by more than half. Prabowo has not yet visited Nusantara since becoming president, and in May, he quietly granted the project political capital status—though the decision became public in September. Meanwhile, let’s explore why the country took the step of changing the capital.
Why is the capital being shifted?
Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it has been Indonesia’s capital since declaring independence from the Netherlands on August 17, 1945. Since then, Jakarta has grown into a sprawling metropolis with 10.5 million people, while its surrounding metropolitan area is home to approximately 30 million. However, reports continue to claim that the city is rapidly sinking. Experts say that by 2030, some parts of the metropolis will either be uninhabitable or will be subject to frequent flooding.
This has led to the decision to shift the polluted, overcrowded, and sinking Jakarta. In 2022, Indonesia passed a law governing the funding and governance of the capital relocation. The commission planning the new capital stated that shifting the capital from Jakarta was “urgently necessary,” as the city and the island of Java were facing severe pressure from “heavy traffic congestion, environmental pollution, and overpopulation.”
How is Nusantara?
In the Nusantara Capital Authority’s 2023 Achievement Report, the country stated that the new capital is part of Indonesia’s Grand Strategy, the 2045 Golden Indonesia Vision, which aims to make Indonesia a developed nation by 2045, the 100th anniversary of independence from the Netherlands.
According to the authority’s plans, Nusantara will develop into a modern and sustainable city over the next two decades. This development will be completed in several phases, including commercial infrastructure, residential complexes, government offices, and a mass transit system.
Nusantara is being built as a sponge city—that is, a city that can absorb rainwater into the ground, reducing the likelihood of flooding. In addition, some more ambitious goals have been set for the city. The goal is to reduce the poverty rate to zero percent by 2035. The city also aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.
Nusantara’s population
Nusantara’s population is quite small. Currently, only 2,000 government employees and 8,000 construction workers live there, while the target is 1.2 million people by 2030. Although some apartments, ministry buildings, hospitals, roads, water systems, and an airport have been built, much of the city remains under construction.
News