City of Nusantara: legacy or folly?

Some critics are asking if it is really necessary to have a new capital in Indonesia.

IT IS either a brilliant move or a foolish one by President Joko Widodo or Jokowi. Naming the new capital of Indonesia, Nusantara, surprised almost everyone. Nusantara is a concept accepted by many as a geographical entity that belongs to the Malay diaspora in South-East Asia. In Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Nusantara as defined by Kamus Dewan is “Kepulauan Melayu” or “gugusan pulau-pulau Melayu” (literally the isles of the Malays).

While the Indonesians claimed that Nusantara refers to the “archipelago nation” known as Indonesia, others in the region believed that Nusantara is a notion of the “Malay people” bound by the same culture and tradition. It is supposed to be part of the region’s indigenous identity contestation, that of “the Malays of Nusantara.”

By naming it Nusantara, Jokowi has brought the name to a new level. Nusantara is given a new legitimacy and meaning. Nusantara is no more the regional domain that it used to be, it is now Indonesia’s own. We have yet to hear any protest from the Malays of the region. Perhaps linguistic nationalism is the thing of the past. Today, no one wants to defend a concept even if for thousand of years held dear by historians, nationalists and politicians of the region. On that score, Jokowi has a scoop. Indonesia has officially claimed what used to be the region’s pride and aspiration as theirs alone.

The name was chosen from at least 80 options, we are told. Names like Negara Jaya, Nusa Karya, Pertiwipura, Wanapura, Cakrawala Pura and Kertanegara were considered. The name Soekarnokarta was even suggested, to honour the first president of the Republic. There was even a suggestion to name it Jokowi (certainly with a pinch of sarcasm). The debate about Projek Ibu Kota Negara (Project IKN, or capital city) has been raging ever since.

The decision to name the new capital Nusantara confuses many. A renowned thinker, Yudi Latif, the former head of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP) believes that the political elite has run out of ideas by agreeing to the name.

The site of Nusantara is 2,000 kilometres away from the current capital, Jakarta. It is to be somewhere in the regions of Penajam Paser Utara dan Kutai Kartanegara in East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. Jakarta City is on one of the most populous islands in the world, home to 60 per cent of the people of Indonesia. Kalimantan is four times larger than Java.

Jokowi announced the plan to move the capital in 2019. He had valid reasons to do so. The idea is to relieve the city of 10 million people of its chronic congestions, over-population and the threat of sinking. But more importantly, to revitalise Kalimantan, the last tropical frontier. And to redistribute wealth. Java controls 60 per cent of the nation’s economy. Like many other regions, Kalimantan needs redevelopment.

It is not just about the choice of name that riled Indonesians after the formal announcement by the People’s Consultative Assembly on January 17. As his brainchild, Jokowi would certainly like to see some semblance of progress by the time he leaves office in 2024. Projek IKN is a massive undertaking, involving billions in the years to come. Many believe the state budget will not be able to support the mega idea considering the country is still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ilham Bintang, of the Indonesian Journalists Association (better known as PWI) in his recent piece, argues that Nusantara is not really wanted at the moment. He asked what made Jokowi hate Jakarta so much? Jakarta is part of a proud history of the nation. Even Jokowi made his mark as the former Governor of Jakarta before he contested for President. Shamsuddin Heasy, another senior journalist echoes that opinion. He believes there is little public deliberation in the government’s decision to move the capital. He is not surprised that some segments of society will challenge the decision at the Mahkamah Konstitusi (Constitution Court).

Moving capitals is not necessarily a good move. There have been stories of reasonable successes, but equally as many failures. Pakistan created Islamabad away from Karachi and Rawalpindi. Australians have their Canberra and we have our Putrajaya. Frankly, Putrajaya is not as robust as Kuala Lumpur and never will be. It is a sleepy enclave that houses civil servants and fewer others.

The classic failure of Naypidaw, the administrative city for Myanmar is legendary. It is a capital in the middle of nowhere, never really abandoned but simply never inhabited in the first place. It is four times the area of London with massive infrastructures but not much more.

Nusantara will certainly not be another Naypidaw. But will Nusantara be Jokowi’s greatest legacy or his unmitigated folly?

Johan Jaaffar is a journalist, editor and for some years chairman of a media company, and is passionate about all things literature and the arts. And a diehard rugby fan. The views expressed here are entirely his own.