The government\'s plan to move the nation\'s capital city to East Kalimantan still has to wait for the ratification of the capital city bill.
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RINI KUSTIASIH/SUCIPTO/DIMAS W NUGRAHA
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Landscape design of the new nation\'s capital in East Kalimantan.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The government\'s plan to move the nation\'s capital city to East Kalimantan still has to wait for the ratification of the capital city bill. Currently, the House of Representatives (DPR) is waiting for the draft regulation from the government to be discussed together before being passed.
The stipulations set out in the capital city bill are also expected to ensure that the construction of the new capital city does not damage the environment and can prevent social problems from arising.
The chairman of Commission II of the DPR, Ahmad Doli Kurnia Tandjung, when contacted from Jakarta on Monday (5/4/2021), said that the capital city bill had been included in the 2021 National Legislation Program passed at the end of March. This means the bill has been declared a piece of priority legislation to be finalized this year. Currently, the DPR is waiting for the draft of the bill from the government.
The undersecretary for regional development at the National Development Planning Ministry/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Rudy Soeprihadi Prawiradinata, said the draft was still being discussed by the government. He did not specifically mention the agency that was working on the bill, but what is certain is that the draft law is no longer in Bappenas.
Inevitable
The legal basis must be there first
According to Doli, the discussion on the capital city bill was inevitable following the government\'s desire to relocate the nation\'s capital city from Jakarta to East Kalimantan.
"Looking at the current pandemic situation and thinking about relocating the capital city, it is not realistic. However, what we are discussing is something different from physical development. We are currently talking about the legal basis first, then later discussing the design and concept. The legal basis must be there first," he said.
Kompas/Priyombodo
Aerial photo of Balang Island bridge in Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, Wednesday (10/03/2021). This bridge connects Balikpapan and Penajam Paser Utara via Balikpapan Bay.
So, the question whether, once the capital city bill is passed into law, physical construction will commence immediately or at a later time, according to Doli, depends on the readiness of all parties, including the government.
Meanwhile, Agustin Teras Narang, a member of the Regional Representative Council for Central Kalimantan, emphasized the importance of building the new capital city in line with efforts to safeguard Kalimantan as the lung of the world. He warned not to let the environment in
Kalimantan be damaged by the new capital city and added that the social impact on local communities should also receive attention from the government.
In addition, it is recommended that the new capital city development be integrated with the trans-Kalimantan development plan in order to strengthen the positive impact of the new capital city development.
Meanwhile, the provincial government of East Kalimantan is waiting for the Capital City Law, along with the details of the capital city plan and its development, before going any further. So far, according to the head of the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) of East Kalimantan, Aswin, several adjustments have been made to the 2020-2024 National Mid-Term Development Plan by including the agenda for relocating the capital city to East Kalimantan.
The Kutai Kartanegara regency administration said it still needed to prepare a number of things for the new capital city. One of them, according to the head of Bappeda of Kutai Kartanegara, Wiyono, is human resources.
For Penajam Paser Utara, floods like the one that occurred in February 2020 are one of the problems that must be resolved. With regard to this, the local government plans to restore the river, which often overflows.
