The symbolism was rife at a ceremony in Indonesia’s future capital city, Nusantara, where President Joko Widodo was joined by other top ranking officials to literally bring a little piece of every Indonesian province to the site.
After spending an evening camping out in the woods in North Penajem Pasar Regency, East Kalimantan, the president visited what is called “Point Zero” of the future center of administration for the ceremony.
“I am here with 34 governors from 34 provinces from throughout the archipelago, as well as 15 respected figures from East Kalimantan,” President Jokowi said in his welcome speech.
Each provincial leader brought with them a sample of dirt and water from their respective regions, before handing them over to the president. He later poured the little pieces of Indonesia into the barrel.
A lot of the spotlight has gone towards Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, who notably handed Jokowi dirt from Kampung Akuarium (Aquarium Village) in North Jakarta. Anies notably committed to building semi-permanent dwellings at the location after his predecessor, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, controversially oversaw the eviction of residents and demolition of the informal settlement in 2016. Ahok aimed to revitalize the dilapidated fishermen’s neighborhood.
The site for Nusantara is located in East Kalimantan near the cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda. President Jokowi’s administration announced in 2019 that Indonesia’s capital city would be moved away from traffic-clogged, polluted, and sinking Jakarta.
The government aims to start moving to Nusantara in 2024 despite concerns of pandemic-driven delays. The design of the new Presidential Palace, which features a massive Garuda structure, was approved earlier this year.
