Indonesia’s incoming president, Prabowo Subianto, has stated his commitment to continuing, and potentially completing, the construction of the new capital city, putting to rest concerns that he would abandon the multibillion-dollar project inherited from his predecessor in favor of his own policy agenda.
Prabowo, set to be sworn in as the country’s eighth president in October, anticipates the new capital becoming “functionally operational” within four to five years, he told reporters on Monday during a visit to the new city, known as Nusantara.
He and current President Joko Widodo are inspecting the new capital ahead of Independence Day celebrations scheduled for August 17 at the site. Some political observers and economists have questioned whether Prabowo would continue the new capital project, given his focus on allocating funds toward welfare initiatives.
Jokowi, as the president is known, also convened his first full cabinet meeting in the new capital later on Monday. He brought dozens of high-ranking officials, including Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, for the meeting in the new city, constructed within the Borneo jungle over 1,200 kilometers northeast of Jakarta.
The outgoing president has been working to alleviate concerns regarding the $35-billion project’s future since the new capital’s chief resigned in June. Amid slow progress and a lack of binding foreign investment, Jokowi intensified site visits and implemented new policies to advance construction as much as possible before the end of his term.
Jokowi hosted local celebrities and held a smaller cabinet meeting in Nusantara in July, during which he also used the office and slept at the new presidential palace for the first time. This time, he will stay for three days, returning to Jakarta to deliver a major speech on August 16 before flying back to Nusantara for Independence Day.
Despite Jokowi’s visits, Nusantara is not yet legally recognized as the nation’s capital until the president issues a decree transferring the status from Jakarta.