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Indonesia marks Independence Day in unfinished Nusantara

August 17, 2024

Outgoing President Joko Widodo, along with President-elect Subianto, celebrated Indonesia's 79th Independence Day in the unfinished future capital Nusantara, making them the first to do so.

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Indonesian President Widodo passes the national flag to a bearer to be hoisted at the country's 79th Independence Day ceremony in Nusantara
Nusantara is outgoing President Widodo's signature projectImage: Willy Kurniawan/REUTERS

Indonesia marked its 79th Independence Day with a flag-raising ceremony in its unfinished future capital city, Nusantara, on Saturday.

Located in the eastern part of Borneo, the new upcoming city is touted as a sustainable, high-tech alternative to the overcrowded, sinking Jakarta.

President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, led the ceremony with President-elect Prabowo Subianto.

Subianto is due to assume office in October. 

Flag bearers hoist the national flag during a flag-raising ceremony
Some 1,300 guests took part in the ceremonyImage: Willy Kurniawan/REUTERS

The flag hoisting ceremony was conducted at the new Presidential Palace, against a backdrop of cranes and construction. It included a prayer and military parade, but no speech from the outgoing President.

Widodo had earlier said that 8,000 guests would be invited, but the number was later scaled back to 1,300 due to a lack of adequate infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Vice President Maruf Amin and his soon-to-be replacement Gibran Rakabuming Raka held a ceremony in Indonesia's current capital Jakarta. 

Indonesia's new capital: Costly bet or sound investment?

Controversial Nusantara

While the government buildings are almost complete, most of the critical project remains unfinished or hasn't even been started yet.

It's the signature project of outgoing President Widodo, whose decade in charge of the world's fourth-most populous country has been defined by major infrastructure projects. Nusantara has been by far the most ambitious and controversial.

The $35 billion (€31.7 billion) project has so far faced several delays, land acquisition issues and struggled to raise private investment which is expected to fund 80% of the project.

Moreover, environmentalists have warned and criticized building a metropolis in one of the world's biggest stretches of rainforest which houses orangutans, long-nosed monkeys and clouded leopards, among other species. 

Indonesia carves a capital from the jungle

mk/sri (dpa, AFP)