The ceremony to commemorate the 79th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence was successfully held for the first time in the courtyard of the State Palace, the Capital City of the Archipelago (IKN) in Penajem Paser Utara, East Kalimantan on Saturday (17/8). President Joko Widodo was present with First Lady Iriana, accompanied by the ranks of ministers of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet, and a number of invited guests.
In this historic moment, President Jokowi acted as the ceremony inspector. He appeared wearing the traditional Kustim regalia of the Kutai Kartanegara Ing Martadipura Sultanate.
According to the website presidenri.go.id, the Kustim clothing worn by Jokowi comes from one of the oldest kingdoms in Indonesia, located in East Kalimantan, and is considered the forerunner of the Nusantara. “The name “Kustim,” taken from the word “Kustin,” which means “greatness,” indicates that this clothing is at the highest level in the royal hierarchy,” the site wrote.
Still according to the website presidenri.go.id, the commemoration of the Republic of Indonesia's Independence Day this year carries the theme “New Archipelago, Advanced Indonesia,” which marks the beginning of three important transitions for Indonesia: the relocation of the capital, the change of leadership, and preparations towards Golden Indonesia 2045.
Present at the event were Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and his wife, Wury, who appeared in traditional Sambas Malay clothing from Pontianak, West Kalimantan. Meanwhile, Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka wore traditional Papuan clothing, accompanied by his wife, Selvi Ananda, who wore traditional Lampung clothing.
Ma'ruf Amin stated that this year's ceremony was a historic moment because it was held simultaneously in Jakarta and the IKN. He added that this showed the unity and togetherness of the Indonesian nation that was not hindered by geographical boundaries.
“This ceremony can be held in two places. We hope that this will further strengthen Indonesian unity, togetherness, justice, and equality for all Indonesian people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan was seen wearing traditional clothing from East Kalimantan. Luhut said the existence of the IKN is a new era for Indonesia because it no longer uses buildings left over from the Dutch.
“I feel that we have come out of the colonial era, because in Jakarta, we almost use government buildings from the colonial era, most of them. But if we look at it now, starting from planning, construction, funding, it is from the government of the Republic of Indonesia,” he said.
Activists Hold Action
Meanwhile, not far from the IKN location, a number of civil society organizations and residents held a series of activities to commemorate Independence Day. On this occasion, they continued to voice various concerns about environmental damage and the weakening of democracy in the country.
Dozens of people from several villages and civil society organizations held a flag ceremony in the Lango Beach area, Penajam District. The event continued with the unfurling of a red cloth measuring 50×15 meters with a white writing pattern that reads “Indonesia is not for sale, Merdeka!” on the Balang Island Bridge by a number of Greenpeace activists.
“President Jokowi's apology in his state address yesterday was meaningless after a decade of his government that took Indonesia further away from the ideals of independence. At the end of his term, Jokowi left behind various problems of injustice,” said Arie Rompas, Head of the Greenpeace Indonesia Campaign Team in a written press statement, Saturday (17/8).
He believes that the IKN is a haphazard and reckless project that robs the rights of indigenous and local communities, but provides a red carpet for oligarchs.
“As if selling off this country, Jokowi gave land ownership permits for up to 190 years for investors in the archipelago. Environmental damage due to the construction of the IKN will also have an impact on worsening the climate crisis,” said Arie Rompas.
In its statement, Green Peace cited data from Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) which stated that around 20 thousand hectares of forest in the IKN area were lost over the past five years. The total remaining natural forest cover in the IKN area is only 31,364 hectares, including a mangrove forest area of 12,819 hectares.
“IKN is the perfect face of the illusion of splendor in the celebration of 79 years of independence. The pride of our nationalism and nationhood is trapped in the splendor of infrastructure alone,” said Fathur Roziqin Fen.
He added that the IKN development project also gave birth to silent victimsnamely animals in the area such as orangutans, proboscis monkeys, and porpoises. Not only that, the habitat and existence of biodiversity in the Balikpapan Bay landscape are also threatened.
The IKN project has attracted widespread attention because it is considered to be damaging to the environment and a significant burden on the government budget, especially amid declining purchasing power. In addition, the project is estimated to cost more than $32 billion or around Rp520 trillion, raising concerns about the country's spending priorities in these difficult times. (ah/ft)
