Member of the Presidential Advisory Council, Sidarto Danusubroto, served as the Keynote Speaker and officially opened the Nusantara Now Festival 2023 on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, at the Dome in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. During the event, Sidarto delivered a presentation with the theme “IKN Nusantara: Realizing the Nation’s Aspirations Towards a Just and Prosperous Indonesia.”
In Indonesia’s history, the government once relocated the national capital from Jakarta to Yogyakarta in January 1946. Over time, President Soekarno envisioned moving the capital city out of Jakarta, particularly to the eastern part of Indonesia. Soekarno believed that Kalimantan was a strategic location due to its central position in Indonesia, being far from areas prone to natural disasters, and having abundant natural resources. Soekarno hoped that relocating the capital to Kalimantan would stimulate economic development in the region and its surrounding areas.
The capital relocation was realized by President Joko Widodo, followed by various policies and programs. One of them was the enactment of Law No. 3 of 2023 concerning the National Capital.
The designated location was named the National Capital of Nusantara (IKN), located in East Kalimantan. IKN is expected to become a new “gravity center” for the economy in Indonesia, including in the central and eastern regions. IKN can create new economic growth centers, maximize the potential of regional resources, support wealth distribution, enhance public service distribution, and strengthen the government’s presence and role.
In addition to fostering economic growth and equity, the development of IKN should bring benefits to the well-being of the people living around IKN, especially indigenous communities as part of Indonesia’s diversity, who have customary rights to land, some of which are used to build IKN.
Furthermore, Sidarto emphasized that for the existence of IKN to be considered a “Realization of the Nation’s Aspirations Towards a Just and Prosperous Indonesia,” various strategic steps and policies need to be taken, including:
– Resolving land acquisition issues related to incomplete compensation, especially with indigenous communities.
– Ensuring that the development of IKN, including infrastructure, facilities, and amenities, benefits not only the residents of IKN but also the surrounding communities (buffer zones).
– Empowering the surrounding population, especially indigenous communities, according to their capacities, so they do not feel neglected but instead have a sense of responsibility as part of IKN (as hosts).
– Implementing various programs to enhance human resources for the surrounding communities to prevent disparities with the population residing in IKN.
– Empowering the local economy through the development of SMEs, allowing the community to benefit from the presence of IKN (trickle-down effect).
