Indonesian President Joko Widodo, in his address to the State Assembly, has asked for the people to approve of the creation of a new capital city for Indonesia.
The President had earlier said he wanted to change the capital of the country to Kalimantan, adding this will spur economic development and enhance the country’s infrastructure.
The move is imperative because Jakarta’s growth has peaked while the city is subject to massive floods during rainy seasons.
Experts are also saying the city is sinking mostly because of illegal construction and rising water from clogged waterways. This situation is causing losses in trillions of Rupiah, says minister Bambang Brodjonegoro.
Research by LPPM ITB of the Institut Teknologi Bandung shows Jakarta’s land surface is decreasing at a speed of 1-12cm / year.
With a rapid increase in the country’s population, the World Bank estimates that 60% of the population will live in cities by 2030.
Jakarta’s population will also increase, but the city is facing another urgent problem with a deterioration in water quality.
More and more groundwater is being pumped out making it easier for saltwater to penetrate the soil.
“But do you know that since Indonesia’s independence, the discourse of transferring the state capital has been stagnating, however, many wanted a new city to be the capital. Even the government formed the National Capital Committee,” Jokowi says.
The search for a new location for Jakarta is not new, says Jokowi who reminded the people that during the time of President Sukarno the latter weighed in on the search for a new location.
But none of the inspected locations seemed to meet the criteria and finally, Sukarno said Jakarta remains the most appropriate capital, because of its history and high efficiency, says Jokowi.
In the end, with the approval of the House of Representatives (GR), Sukarno declared Jakarta as the State Capital under the Law No.10 / 1964.
With the capital city in Borneo, it will be a new era for the Island divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
Borneo island will become an engine of growth in the region with Indonesia’s efforts towards moving its capital to Kalimantan
Neighbouring Sabah and Sarawak stand to gain from the move.