NEW leader Prabowo Subianto wants to complete key government and parliamentary buildings in the country’s US$32bil (RM139bil) new capital city in the next four years, according to a Cabinet minister.
The capital project, an initiative of former president Joko Widodo, seeks to move Indonesia’s seat of power about 1,200km away from sinking and congested Jakarta to Nusantara, located in Kalimantan, Borneo.
“He (Prabowo) even hopes that the inauguration of the next Indonesia president and vice-president in 2029 could be done in Nusantara,” Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said on Saturday on his Instagram account.
The remarks on Prabowo’s intentions come amid doubts that he will pursue the project at the same speed as Joko, who tacitly backed him for the election, and whether the state budget can stretch to fund Nusantara alongside his multi-billion dollar free-meal programme, his signature election campaign promise.
Raja Juli said there should be no questions of Prabowo’s commitment to continue Joko’s legacy project, as he has already guaranteed he would complete it.
“For him (Prabowo), Nusantara is the capital of politics. That’s why in the next four years, apart from government buildings, we must complete buildings for legislative and judiciary bodies,” he said.
Key government buildings, like the presidential palace and some state officials housing were recently completed. — Reuters
