On Sunday (28/7) President Jokowi returned to his working visit to the Indonesian Capital City (IKN) by inviting the… influencer or prominent influencers in the country. Riding a motorbike, Jokowi and his entourage reviewed the progress of the toll road construction towards the IKN.
“Trying to walk is easiest if we ride a motorbike, at least it will be felt. Earlier I also invited them (influencer) all of them ride motorbikes, experiencing the toll road to the IKN even though it is not finished yet but thank god “It went smoothly and seamlessly,” said Jokowi.
According to him, the progress of the toll road construction is considered quite good even though it is not yet completed. He also advised the Acting Head of the IKN Authority (OIKN) who is also the Minister of PUPR Basuki Hadimuljono to carry out greening around the toll road to the IKN.
Jokowi also emphasized his readiness to spend the night at the Presidential Palace in the IKN for the first time as several important infrastructures are now available there.
“I want to see this, I have been told that the water has been entered, the electricity is there, the room is there, but also the bed is there, so I can sleep. Some of the furniture is already there. Yes, I will spend the night at the Palace,” said Jokowi.
However, when asked by reporters when he would start working in the IKN, the president said it would only start after all ministers returned to Indonesia after their duties and visits abroad.
“The meeting will be held later when all ministers are in the country, because many are still in Paris. The first cabinet meeting too, yes, that will wait for the ministers who are abroad,” he explained.
Jokowi claims to have received many commitments from domestic and foreign investors who want to invest in the mega IKN Development project. All of these commitments, he said, will be processed further after the celebration of the Republic of Indonesia's Independence Day on August 17.
“There have been many commitments, 300 or so, but we are still waiting for the regulations in OIKN. Now it's finished, then we will open letter of intent or letter of interest (LOI) that has been submitted. Then we will start inviting them again to see the changes or the speed,” he explained.
Observer: Ideally, IKN Development Should Come from APBN, Not Investors
Interviewed by VOA by phone, urban planning observer Nirwono Yoga said that ideally, building a national capital would use the state budget (APBN), not from investors. This is because for the sake of the state, there are things that should not be known to the public, including investors.
“Selling the capital city from the start was wrong. If we want to go back, how do we revive the city, the capital city trappings must be removed, let it grow into a modern city, the latest concept of a sophisticated city, please try. That is contradictory to the development of the city,” said Nirwono.
He gave the example of the capital city of Putra Jaya, Malaysia, which took at least 25 years to build.
“Unless we want to develop a companion city or satellite city supporting the IKN, that's different. If it can be sold, please, for example, to become an industrial city, who will be the investor, then the city research and development who the investor is, that is clearer. But the IKN in the core area of the government center should not be done anything and should not even be commercial,” he said.
With the slowing investment conditions in the IKN, Nirwono is confident that the next government (Prabowo-Gibran) will conduct a total evaluation of the continuation of the mega project. The drastic decrease in the PUPR Ministry's budget in the 2025 State Budget indicates a slowdown in the development of the IKN in the future, he added.
“So first. They (Prabowo-Gibran) will think twice about continuing or not, and later we will see whether it attracts many investors or not. And this will definitely have an impact on the reform of the OIKN Agency. They have also proven that they can't do anything at the moment, now everything is being done by the PUPR Ministry in the end. This is also a note for the evaluation of the new government later, and is also related to the future fate of the IKN,” he explained, adding that it would be better if the development that is already underway is targeted to build a new city, not the nation's capital.
“It is much more flexible for sales. Even if the Palace has been built, it is more of a building that can be converted,” he concluded. (children)
