Optimize the Dissemination of the Capital City Relocation Plan
The relocation of the country’s capital city has become a hot topic, especially on social media. Taking the public’s aspirations into account will be a measurement of success.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
MAWAR KUSUMA WULAN KUNCORO MANIK
President Joko Widodo inspects the access road to the planned state capital or IKN in East Kalimantan Province, Tuesday (8/24/2021).
The House of Representatives, led by House Speaker Puan Maharani, passed the state capital bill into law on 18 January 2022. The bill had been deliberated by the House’s special committee (Pansus) during the second trial of the 2021-2022 session year, on 7 December 2021.
The ratification of the State Capital Law has rekindled discourse on relocating the capital city, which had previously died down. In this regard, the Kompas Research and Development Department (Litbang) monitored and mapped the issue of the capital city relocation through the Talkwalker application for a week (18-24 January 2022). Generally, public discourse on the capital city relocation is divided between those that support and those that oppose it. (Kompas, 1/2/2022).
The government has disseminated information about the capital city relocation plan on various occasions, such as in early March 2020 through National Development Planning Minister/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) head Suharso Monoarfa. According to Suharso, relocating the capital city to the central region of Indonesia will drive the economy in the surrounding area and positively impact national growth.
In the initial stage, there are plans to build 100,000 houses with 500,000 workers. Development logistics will impact other areas such as North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and even up to Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Bali (Kompas, 3/3/2021). On a macro level, relocating the capital city to Kalimantan will stimulate the economy outside of Java.
SRI REJEKI
The design of the State Palace in the form of a Garuda bird by artist Nyoman Nuarta who won the National Palace design competition in the new State Capital (IKN) in North Penajam Paser Regency, East Kalimantan.
Another reason why the capital city is being relocated is that Jakarta itself as the city’s carrying capacity continues to weaken each day. Jakarta has always been haunted by various issues, including flooding and overcrowding, leading to consequences like congestion.
Some of the reasonable aims of relocating the capital city should be properly conveyed to the public. It is hoped that with optimal dissemination, there will be no doubts or disagreements regarding the state capital.
Public involvement is a necessity for every discussion of drafting the implementing regulations as derivative regulations of the State Capital Law. From the law, according to data compiled by Kompas Litbang, there are 14 articles that must be further detailed in technical regulations, which can be in the form of presidential decrees, presidential regulations and government regulations.
According to a Kompas Litbang poll, 50 percent of respondents believe that the capital city relocation will be successful in 2024, whereas 45.5 percent of respondents are uncertain. Meanwhile, almost 60 percent of respondents conceded that they were not even aware that the State Capital Law had been passed by the House. The discussion of this bill had been relatively short, taking less than two months.
The government needs to optimize the remaining two years before 2024 to socialize the capital city relocation. According to Kompas Litbang records, online debates over the new state capital have been colored more by emotional statements, but these discussions should be directed to more substantial matters.
