Land rights controversy shakes up Indonesia's capital relocation plan to East Kalimantan

A computer-generated image of Indonesia's future state palace in East Kalimantan, as part of the country's relocation of its capital from slowly sinking Jakarta to a site 2,000 kilometers away in East Kalimantan. - AFP

JAKARTA, Feb 13 (Jakarta Post/ANN): Nusantara, the Indonesian government’s new capital city project, is facing more public scrutiny even after lawmakers passed a law formalising the staggered move away from congested Jakarta, following allegations that a number of prominent figures stand to benefit from the relocation to East Kalimantan.

Concerns surrounding land rights and ownership over the 256,000-hectare site of the new capital have surfaced ever since President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced that the new city would occupy an area straddling the regencies of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara.