About One Future of Nusantara
Relocating IKN is an opportunity to reorganize all aspects of the state and government, including and in particular the renewal of its human-development resources, namely the apparatus.
One of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo's most debated legacies is the relocation of the nation's capital from Jakarta to Nusantara (literally meaning archipelago), a new city to be built in North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regencies, East Kalimantan.
The debate revolves around the necessity and urgency of relocating the country's capital city (IKN) and its potential problems.
Those who criticize -- even reject -- the idea of relocating IKN refer to the inappropriate timing, lack of resources to build and various socio-environmental problems, including integration and conflict with local residents and customary/indigenous peoples, land status and the potential for environmental damage. As if the development of IKN will only cause disaster.
On the other hand, those who all-out support the relocation of IKN, especially the current Jokowi administration, have expressed optimism about the birth of a new economic-growth center, as well as a new smart, modern and green capital city. In fact, to refute and deny various doubts, the development of the archipelago is now being accelerated. After the IKN Law was passed and the IKN Authority was formed, the physical development of infrastructure is now being built massively with the target of relocating the government to Nusantara in early 2024. It is as if there will be no problems in the development of Nusantara and it will definitely bring blessings in the future.
Those of us who understand the nature of reality certainly understand that both factions have misunderstood the future of IKN. No future is completely bleak, or completely bright. The future is not foreseen or predicted. It is developed -- with consciousness. And it is this awareness that has been sidelined for a long time by the shallow commotion between the pros and cons, by those who have lost sight of the significance of relocating IKN.
Awareness of the future
The future is never singular. In the study of the future, it is always written in the plural form (futures studies) and always about future plausibilities. Likewise, the future of IKN -- the future of Nusantara. Of the many possible futures, one will be deepened as an effort to build common awareness.
The transfer of IKN should be accomplished with the foundation of a key awareness: that the opportunity to relocate or build a new capital city is an opportunity to renew the way of organizing and managing the life of the nation and state. The relocation of IKN is not merely an effort to build a new city or center of economic growth, but rather to show determination to the
citizens of Indonesia and the world – to show that this republic really wants to improve, and find new ways of managing the country.
Without this awareness, the debate about IKN will have no end. Even IKN will always be a commodity of politicization. There is no denying that one of the biggest concerns right now is if the government resulting from the 2024 general election does not continue, or even cancels, the relocation of IKN, because the IKN Law can be canceled if the majority of the House of Representatives (DPR) approves it -- and we know this is a matter of power or political consolidation. If that happens, this IKN project could be the biggest stalled project ever. This is the awareness that should provide direction to shape the future of IKN: as part of many efforts to become a great nation, building a new capital city is an opportunity not only to build cities and physical infrastructure, but also to build commitments to reorganize various aspects of government and state, as a whole, seriously.
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Before discussing further about the state restructuring, there are at least four fundamental dimensions directly related to the future of IKN.
First, physically, the relocation of IKN provides an opportunity to reduce the burden on Jakarta, which is already too big as a center of activity -- from government, business, finance, trade and social to cultural. Jakarta's carrying capacity is already at its limit to support all of its human activities. In addition, the threat of natural disasters, such as floods, tsunamis and earthquakes, as well as the crisis of water resources, is increasingly haunting. Therefore, relocating the center of government to Nusantara would help Jakarta reorganize itself as a center of socio-economic activity.
Indeed, one of the main challenges for the physical development of IKN is the limited capacity of the state's finances. Moreover, there is a need to manage the impact of the pandemic and respond to global crises due to conflicts in various parts of the world. Therefore, various financing schemes for the development of the archipelago have been sought to reduce the burden on the state: foreign debt, investment and public-private partnership (PPP) by involving the private sector as well as state-owned enterprises.
Second, the transfer of IKN is an acknowledgment as well as an effort to correct development which has been centered in Java and has not been evenly distributed. From the standpoint of economic contribution to GDP, Java dominates with 57.89 percent and Jakarta contributes 17.23 percent.
The development of the Nusantara is projected to create new centers of economic growth, including through job creation, as well as sustaining growth in the central and eastern regions of Indonesia that have been underdeveloped so far. The modern capital city in the future will not only become the center of government, but also serve as a link for various activities, value chains and the driving force of the national economy.
Third, IKN development means an opportunity to plan and develop the capital from scratch -- correcting all the shortcomings of Jakarta and not repeating its problematic development mistakes. Nusantara must be a developed, intelligent, sustainable and inclusive city. Social disparities, such as the marginalization of indigenous Betawi residents from accessing Jakarta's socio-economic-political resources, must not be repeated in Nusantara.
The existence of at least 20,000 people from 21 indigenous communities in East Kalimantan (AMAN, 2021) must be guaranteed, as well as their right to access to development resources there. Its urban planning as an intelligent, green and forest city must ensure environmental sustainability and conservation, and not present a threat to biological ecosystems as feared by Forest Watch, Jatam, TrendAsia and Walhi, considering it is located in the center of the lungs of the world.
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Lastly, Nusantara should not be just a showcase, but must be a locomotive for transforming governance and reforming the country's bureaucracy. There is no modern capital city in any developed country where the government apparatus and state bureaucracy are sluggish, corrupt, incompetent and inefficient at providing quality-public services.
This must start by ensuring that IKN development is free from various conflicts of interest, including concessions, ownership and land use (Forest Watch Indonesia, 2021; NarasiNews, 2021). Building Nusantara must be the beginning of carrying out a structural transformation of government, institutional structuring and the state apparatus as a whole in this republic.
In short, the relocation of IKN must create momentum for restructuring and reforming the management of this country.
Update and Invigorate
At the heart of every update is a human being. The reform of government management demands the renewal of human actors in state governance: the state civil apparatus (ASN). The relocation of IKN must be a strategic impetus for ASN talent renewal, not just a matter of transferring government employees.
The State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry (Kemenpan RB) estimates that 118,000 to 180,000 ASN will relocate to IKN (Kompas, 26/2/2022). Of this number, 60,000 will already be in Nusantara by the end of 2023 (Kompas, 11/3/2022). However, until now, the exact number, as well as the scenario of relocation, is not known.
What is clear is that the government is preparing aid for ASN who relocate to IKN in the form of moving costs and official housing, expense incentives and flexible-facility arrangements, such as ease-of-access, completeness of facilities, selection of housing, flexibility in working methods and competency development (Bappenas, 2022). However, quite a number of ASN are disinterested, disobedient or applying for other positions to avoid being relocated to the new capital city.
They cannot be blamed, because apart from the relocation scheme above, they do not know the roadmap and blueprint for the relocation of ASN to Nusantara, which will affect their fate and that of their families. Obviously, to attract civil servants to IKN, it is not enough to "lure" them with remuneration and allowances.
Almost the entire policy discourse on IKN relocation is dominated by the capital's physical-development plan, and there is almost no room to talk about people. Communication of IKN relocation policies, especially those related to ASN, did not run optimally. In fact, the governance of ASN in the relocation of IKN has become a strategic entry point for improving overall governance. It carries a message: relocating IKN is reforming governance through reforming the ASN arrangement. In fact, this is an opportunity to organize a new generation of our ASN corps.
The demand for quality human resources in the new capital city and in new Indonesia is no longer adequate if it continues the old pattern in the old capital and old Indonesia: the dominance of ASN, no longer young, with relatively low quality in the bureaucratic structure and limited talent of young ASN in strategic positions in every line.
Of the 3.99 million ASN -- including 936,860 ministerial/institutional employees and 3.06 million local-administration employees -- 38.1 percent (1.52 million) are 51-60 years old and 31 percent (1.25 million) 41-50 years old. Only about 30 percent are aged 40 and under (Badan Kepegawaian Negara, 2021). This is a serious matter that needs to be considered. Moreover, with the government's intention to achieve a demographic bonus which coincides with the process of relocating IKN, young ASN in Nusantara is part of the strategic calculation of the future.
That is why relocating IKN is at the same time an impetus to organize our ASN talent management. The relocation of ASN to IKN is not only encouraged by remuneration and allowances, but also with opportunities for career acceleration and promotion. In Singapore, the majority of civil servants achieve the position of permanent secretary (equivalent to director general, deputy or echelon I-A officials in Indonesia) when they are 45 years old.
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Why can we not do that? Why do we not start when we move IKN -- and ASN -- to Nusantara? We can provide incentives for accelerating promotions for young ASN who will oversee the new Nusantara and Indonesia: they can achieve echelon I when they are 45 years old. If career acceleration and promotion as part of ASN talent management can be realized, government performance will improve and reform will occur.
If they are aged 45 when attaining echelon I status, officials will optimally have up to 15 years before retiring. Policy sustainability will be maintained because the range of positions and terms of office are sufficient to carry out various breakthroughs needed to advance the country. This also answers the problem of many policies that are currently stagnant and business-as-usual, because the strategic positions of echelon I and II are filled with the majority of ASN aged over 50, even 55. As a result, there is not enough time to make a breakthrough, because retirement age is approaching too quickly.
Even from an external perspective, facing the current global dynamics in the VUCA era (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous), bureaucratic rejuvenation and ASN talent management is a necessity. We do not want to see the performance of public policies and services remain the same. We must be serious about realizing an advanced and modern Indonesia.
Relocating IKN is not just a matter of constructing new buildings and palaces in a new location. Relocating IKN is an opportunity to reorganize all aspects of the state and government, including and in particular the renewal of its human-development resources, namely the apparatus. With this awareness, the debate about IKN should be "more qualified": it is no longer a matter of agreeing or disagreeing, let alone its politicization, but of how to shape the future of Nusantara and Indonesia.
Yanuar Nugroho
Yanuar Nugroho, Lecturer at Driyarkara College of Philosophy Jakarta, Visiting Senior Fellow ISEAS Singapore, Founder of NALAR Institute, Advisor to CIPG Jakarta.
This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo.
