Indonesia to Move Capital from Jakarta (on Java) to Borneo

[Frodo]

It is to be called 'Nusantara', Javanese for archipelago:

Indonesia passes law to move capital from Jakarta to Borneo

To give a little hint as to its future location, the port city of Balikpapan is to serve as the 'gateway' to the new capital. 

[Crumpets]

Cool beans.

Get it, cuz Java? Never mind.

[CumbrianLefty]

Presumably this is quite a popular thing to do?

[Logical]

Presumably this is quite a popular thing to do?

It isn't, most are ambivalent or simply do not care. Some critics see it as the Jokowi administration's legacy building white elephant project. There are many good arguments why the capital should be moved away from overcrowded, polluted and rapidly sinking Jakarta, but I doubt that the project is worth its cost. It is also unlikely that every instrument and ministries of state will be effectively transported to a remote area in Kalimantan.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Presumably this is quite a popular thing to do?

It isn't, most are ambivalent or simply do not care. Some critics see it as the Jokowi administration's legacy building white elephant project. There are many good arguments why the capital should be moved away from overcrowded, polluted and rapidly sinking Jakarta, but I doubt that the project is worth its cost. It is also unlikely that every instrument and ministries of state will be effectively transported to a remote area in Kalimantan.

I can't imagine this will help Borneo's already-delicate environmental situation either, and for that matter probably won't even do that much to alleviate Java's.

[Big Abraham]

Countries need to stop moving their capitals to cities that haven't been built yet.

[PSOL]

Just like Egypt’s, Brazil’s, and Myanmar’s plan, the real purpose is to move to a safe location away from working people who want to overthrow their dictatorship.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Just like Egypt’s, Brazil’s, and Myanmar’s plan, the real purpose is to move to a safe location away from working people who want to overthrow their dictatorship.

Rare time when I agree with PSOL, most of these are prestige moves rather than practical descions.

[Samof94]

Countries need to stop moving their capitals to cities that haven't been built yet.

The Dutch built the city centuries ago.

[CumbrianLefty]

Just like Egypt’s, Brazil’s, and Myanmar’s plan, the real purpose is to move to a safe location away from working people who want to overthrow their dictatorship.

Is this something recent?

Because of course they weren't a dictatorship when Brasilia was planned and built.

[Sol]

I assume this is intended as an extension of the Javanese quasi-colonization of the rest of the archipelago?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Because of course they weren't a dictatorship when Brasilia was planned and built.

And Indonesia is not a dictatorship now. Like a lot of Third World countries it is some way away from Western democratic norms (let alone ideals), but it has free and fair elections (even if the counting takes a thousand years) and the composition of government changes in response to them.

I assume this is intended as an extension of the Javanese quasi-colonization of the rest of the archipelago?

Part of it, though we can delete the 'quasi' there, I think.

[Agonized-Statism]

I've been following this story for a while. Really hoped it would call attention to the sinking of Jakarta and the similar dangers cities around the world face.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The sinking of Jakarta is a genuine environmental horror story and more people should be aware of it. It isn't actually about climate change as such (though that, obviously, increases the severity of the situation because of 'rising sea levels') but certain other, incredibly stupid, decisions relating to infrastructure that have been taken (or rather not taken) over many decades.

[Frodo]

Construction has begun:

Indonesia to start building 184 towers in new capital this year

[dead0man]

fun fact-there are more people on Java (151 million) than there are in Russia (147 million)

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

What a waste of funds.