Indonesia yesterday celebrated its independence anniversary at the site of its planned new capital, Nusantara, for the first time, in a scaled-back ceremony as the city, which is still under construction, is beset by problems and faces delays.
A legacy project of outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Nusantara has experienced construction delays and funding shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of foreign investment and more recently, resignations of project leaders.
In yesterday’s celebration of the country’s independence from Japanese rule that ended in 1945, the number of attendees was cut to 1,300 guests, down from an initial 8,000, as lodgings and food supply were limited, Widodo said earlier this week.
Photo: Reuters
Hundreds of attendees from local communities and construction workers attended the ceremony under red umbrellas, with several under-construction buildings standing behind them.
Mulyana, a 38-year-old construction worker at the new capital, said he spent the past nine months working to construct a ministry office building that was partially used for yesterday’s celebration amid limited infrastructure to move the materials.
“For five months we worked in 24-hour shifts. Due to limited access we need two to three hours [daily] to move the concrete using heavy equipment,” Mulyana, who like many Indonesians has a single name, said on Friday.
When he came a year earlier, water and electricity supply were limited at the site, Mulyana added.
Nusantara is being built in a forested pocket on the eastern side of the island of Borneo, about 1,200km from the current capital, Jakarta, on the island of Java.
Jokowi has sought to shore up confidence in the US$32 billion mega-project in the past few months, breaking ground for hotels and office buildings and holding the first cabinet meeting in the eagle-shaped new state palace.
However, he has also said plans to relocate thousands of civil servants to Nusantara could be postponed, subject to the readiness of the capital city, after previously ordering them to pack up and move in September.
Incoming Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto, who also attended the ceremony, has promised to continue Nusantara.
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