JAKARTA: More than 10,000 Indonesian civil servants will move to Nusantara in September, marking the first phase of inhabiting the country’s new capital in East Kalimantan as development takes further shape.
This is set to take place about a month after the planned inauguration of Nusantara, known locally as Ibu Kota Negara or IKN, during Indonesia’s 79th Independence Day celebrations on Aug 17.
There will be 11,916 civil servants from 38 ministries and institutions moving over in the first phase, said Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform Abdullah Azwar Anas at a press conference on Wednesday (Apr 17).
Moving civil servants to Nusantara was initially slated for March this year. But it has been pushed back twice – first to July, then to September.
A smaller group of around 1,500 civil servants will be making their way there first in August to help prepare for Independence Day commemorations, before the major move in September.
“We already have the data for those who will move as priority one, two, and three. It’s just a matter of execution,” Minister Anas said in his Wednesday statement.
The government will bear the cost of flights and packing goods. In addition, each civil servant is expected to receive one official apartment unit, adjusted to availability.
Unmarried civil servants will have to temporarily share apartments with other singles until the development of all apartment units is completed, CNBC Indonesia reported.
The government will also provide special allowances to the pioneer batch of civil servants moving to Nusantara. Coverage will extend to their spouse, two children and one household assistant where applicable.
A FIVE-PHASE MEGAPROJECT
The decision to relocate the national capital to Kalimantan from Jakarta was announced by President Joko Widodo in 2019. Jokowi, as he is popularly known, said it was necessary to save sinking and congested Jakarta while enhancing development in eastern Indonesia.
Nusantara is being built in five stages. The first phase of the US$30 billion megaproject, comprising the construction of the palace, a few ministries and basic infrastructure such as roads and housing, is scheduled for completion this year.
Authorities have said the development of the president’s office, state palace and four coordinating ministry buildings will be completed and ready by Independence Day celebrations in August, local media Kompas reported.
The last stage of Nusantara’s construction is slated to be completed by Indonesia’s centennial in 2045 when it is connected with surrounding cities such as Balikpapan and Samarinda.
Construction work for facilities has already begun. The groundbreaking of Nusantara’s first hospital took place in September last year. This was followed up two months later by the groundbreaking of the city’s first international school.
In March this year, outgoing President Joko Widodo launched the “topping-off” – the late-stage construction phase – of the apartment towers that will house the relocated civil servants as well as police officers.
According to President Jokowi, 12 towers are expected to be completed by July while 21 others will be done by October. Another 14 apartment towers will reach completion by November.
The government has said that while civil servants will relocate to Nusantara, Jakarta will remain Indonesia’s centre of business – similar to arrangements in countries such as Australia, where Canberra is the centre of government but Sydney is the financial capital.
