, Indonesia - It was supposed to be the jewel in the crown of the 10-year presidency of Mr Joko Widodo, but Indonesia’s capital-to-be, carved out of dense jungle in Borneo, is a vast building site just weeks before it is due to open.
The city-in-progress will still figure large in independence celebrations, but an official decree moving the capital from Jakarta could be delayed until long after Mr Widodo’s successor, Mr Prabowo Subianto, takes charge on Oct 20. The plan called for the city to be built in five stages by 2045. Phase One – a government core intended for the president, his ministers, and key civil servants – was due to be up and running by now.AFP was given rare access to Phase One by project officials, but found claims that it was 80 per cent complete hard to accept.
Another official close to the project told AFP on condition of anonymity that the first phase was closer to 20 per cent complete. “For Independence Day, we are indeed pressured to finish the target,” said concrete plant manager Jamaluddin, 47, who goes by one name. “They don’t want to invest in something at the cost of biodiversity,” said Indonesian sustainability expert Aida Greenbury.