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| Indonesia wants to move its capital from congested Jakarta to a new purpose-built city in east Kalimantan (AFP Photo/BAY ISMOYO) |
Indonesia will move its capital to the eastern edge of jungle-clad Borneo island, President Joko Widodo said Monday, as the country shifts its political heart away from congested and sinking megalopolis Jakarta.
The
proposed location -- near the regional cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda -- is
an area at "minimal" risk of natural disasters, where the government
already owns some 180,000 hectares (445,000 acres) of land, he added.
"The
location is very strategic -- it's in the centre of Indonesia and close to
urban areas," Widodo said in a televised speech.
"The
burden Jakarta is holding right now is too heavy as the centre of governance,
business, finance, trade and services," he added.
The
announcement ends months of speculation about whether Widodo would follow
through on the long-mooted plan -- it was floated by the newly independent
country's founding father Sukarno more than half a century ago.
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Map of
Indonesia showing approximate area of the proposed
site of the country's new
capital. (AFP Photo/AFP)
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Shifting
from problem-plagued Jakarta would also transfer Indonesia's power base off
Java island, where about half of the sprawling archipelago's 260 million people
live.
"Moving
the capital off Java is a gesture that aims to solidify unity," said
Jakarta-based political risk analyst Kevin O'Rourke.
"Jakarta
will continue to be a megacity -- as a centre for finance and commerce -- for a
few more decades, but ultimately it is at severe risk to climate change,"
he added.
A bill for
the proposed move will now be presented to parliament, Widodo said.
Building is
set to begin next year with the move of some 1.5 million civil servants slated
to begin by 2024, at a cost of 466 trillion rupiah ($33 billion), officials
said.
Orangutans, mining
Known as
Kalimantan, Indonesia's section of Borneo -- the island it shares with Malaysia
and Brunei -- is home to major mining activities as well as rainforests, and is
one of the few places on Earth with orangutans in their natural habitat.
Environmentalists expressed concerns the capital city move could threaten endangered species.
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The area
around Samboja, Kutai Kartanegara, is one of two locations in
Eastern
Kalimantan chosen as a possible site for the new capital (AFP Photo/
Fachmi
RACHMAN)
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Environmentalists expressed concerns the capital city move could threaten endangered species.
"The
government must make sure that the new capital is not built in a conservation
or protected area," said Greenpeace Indonesia campaigner Jasmine Putri.
The region
has also been blanketed in choking haze from annual forest fires that ravage
vast swathes of land.
"That
makes Kalimantan unfit as a candidate for a new capital city," said
Jakarta-based urban planning expert Nirwono Joga.
"And
the move won't necessarily free Jakarta of problems like flooding, traffic jams
and rapid urbanisation," he added.
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Map showing
the tidal inundation of Jakarta in 2012 and projected
expansion in 2025 and
2050. (AFP Photo/Janis LATVELS)
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Concerns
have soared over the future of Jakarta -- a city nicknamed "the Big
Durian" after the pungent, spiky fruit that deeply divides fans and
detractors.
Built on
swampland, the city is one of the fastest-sinking cities on earth, with experts
warning that one third of it could be submerged by 2050 if current rates
continue. The problem is largely linked to excessive groundwater extraction.
But the
city of 10 million -- a number that bloats to about 30 million with surrounding
satellite cities -- is also plagued by a host of other ills, from eye-watering
traffic jams and pollution to the risk of earthquakes and floods.
Indonesia
is not the first Southeast Asian country to move its capital.
Myanmar and
Malaysia have both moved their seat of government, while Brazil, Pakistan and
Nigeria are among the nations that have also shifted their capital cities.
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