Anika Begay
By Willy Kurniawan
NUSANTARA, Indonesia (Reuters) – Indonesia marked its independence anniversary for the first time on Saturday at the site of its new capital, Nusantara, in a scaled-down ceremony as the city, still under construction, grapples with problems and delays.
A project inherited from outgoing President Joko Widodo, Nusantara has suffered construction delays and funding shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of foreign investment and, most recently, the resignation of project leaders.
At Saturday’s celebration of the country’s independence from Japanese rule, which ended in 1945, the number of attendees was reduced to 1,300 guests from an initial 8,000 because accommodation and food supplies were limited, Jokowi, as the president is commonly known, said earlier this week.
Hundreds of participants from local communities and construction workers took part in the ceremony under red umbrellas, with several buildings under construction behind them.
Mulyana, a 38-year-old construction worker from the new capital, said he had spent the past nine months building a ministry office building, which was partially used for the celebration on Saturday because infrastructure for moving materials was limited.
“For five months we have been working in 24-hour shifts, because of the limited access it takes us two to three hours (a day) to move the cement using heavy machinery,” Mulyana, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told Reuters on Friday, adding that when he arrived a year ago, the site had limited water and electricity supplies.
Nusantara is being built in a forested area in the eastern part of the island of Borneo, about 1,200 km (745 mi) from the current capital, Jakarta, on the island of Java.
In recent months, Jokowi has sought to shore up confidence in the $32 billion megaproject, breaking ground on hotels and offices and holding the first Cabinet meeting in the new eagle-shaped state palace.
But he also said plans to relocate thousands of government workers to Nusantara could be postponed, depending on the capital’s availability, after previously ordering them to pack up and move in September.
Incoming President Prabowo Subianto, who also attended Saturday’s ceremony, vowed to continue Nusantara.
A parallel celebration was also held in Jakarta, where most of the music and dances were performed.
