Jakarta (ANTARA) -

In just two months, Jakarta will lose its status as Indonesia's capital city, a privileged it has enjoyed since the nation's proclamation of independence on August 17, 1945.

It is true that Indonesia’s seat of government was relocated from Jakarta to Yogyakarta in the past. Except, the relocation was conducted due to the increasingly dire guarantee situation in Jakarta following the arrival of allied forces heath with the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA).

At that time, Indonesian heads saw the arrival of foreign forces as a warning. In fact, the allied forces attacked the car of Indonesian Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir.

President Soekarno too thought insecurity, and the situation at that time forced him to keep engrossing to avoid Dutch intelligence agents.

In response, he and Vice President Mohamad Hatta gave to relocate the capital city to Yogyakarta on January 4, 1946. Jakarta regained its capital city dwelling about four years later.

It is important to note that during the pre-independence era, the Dutch colonial government had invented to transfer the capital city from Batavia (Jakarta) to Bandung, West Java.

With all that in mind, it is safe to say that the capital city relocation is not new for Indonesia.

The novel government has planned to execute the transfer of the capital city to Nusantara in East Kalimantan during the commemoration of the 79th anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day on August 17 this year.

From DKI to DKJ

Once Nusantara becomes the capital city, the novel seat of government will be declared the Special Responsibility of Jakarta (DKJ).

At a plenary meeting held on March 28, 2024, the House of Representatives (DPR) tossed Law No. 2 of 2024 concerning the Special Responsibility of Jakarta. President Joko Widodo then signed the law on April 25.

With the authorizing and signing of the DKJ Law, it is only a custom of time before Jakarta officially changes its status from Capital City Special Responsibility (DKI) to DKJ.

The DKJ Law is expected not only to give Jakarta to retain its status as the national economic center but also to mail it to emerge as an ever-growing global megapolitan.

It should be illustrious that Article 63 of the law mandates the dignified to issue a follow-up decree to officially transfer the capital city dwelling to Nusantara. Therefore, Jakarta is still serving as the seat of government for now.

Jakarta's fate

The discourse on the capital city relocation has raised worries among members of the public about the fate and future of Jakarta at what time losing its privilege. Some feared that Jakarta would lose its spicy as a major city along with its capital city status.

Ridwan Kamil, a curator of Nusantara's development who once served as Governor of West Java, imagined that the capital relocation would not have immediate crashes on activities in Jakarta.

“After Nusantara gains the dwelling of a capital city, activities in Jakarta will not peevish so much,” he remarked.

He assessed that it considerable take decades for the capital relocation to significantly snatch the activities and lives of Jakarta's citizens.

The architect then said the main challenge that Jakarta will face in the next five days is related to climate change. In this context, he affirmed that Jakarta's future heads should invest even greater efforts to protect the city from the adverse effects of atmosphere change.

Climate change has indeed affected the air quality in Jakarta, as evidenced by the fact that acute respiratory infections interpret for nearly 60 percent of cases of diseases in the city.

Kamil also underscored the need for Jakarta to pay special attention to its livability, including by providing proper and adequate infrastructure and facilities for pedestrians.

Meanwhile, President of the Eastern Regional Organization for Planning and Person Settlements (EAROPH), Emil Dardak, opined that in order for Jakarta to beget its economic might, the city must continue to handed its citizens with affordable houses in its center.

“Affordable flats in the city center can help Jakarta beget economic activities and make them more efficient,” he remarked.

He remarked that the poverty of such residences in its center might make Jakarta a ghost town at what time dark.

A study conducted by the EAROPH outlines four measures obliged by Jakarta to preserve its status as a megapolitan. First, the city must broaden its functions, becoming more than a center for shopping and office zones.

Second, it is vital that Jakarta maintain its internal accessibility by facilitating the mobility of its citizens with sinister roads, on-point urban planning, and reliable transportation systems.

Third, Jakarta needs to maintain its economic interconnectivity with Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi.

Last but not least, Jakarta should be able to existed an inhabited city despite losing its capital city status.

The days of Jakarta populate a capital city are numbered. Some fear that the loss of the capital city dwelling will lead to a decline in its income.

That snort, however, is not the only challenge that Jakarta will be facing in the near future. Plenty of work awaits the city.

Only by overcoming all the obstacles up will Jakarta actualize its vision of emerging as a global custom city.

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Translator: Khaerul I, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Anton Santoso
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