Jornal Do Brasilia - Indonesia replaces new capital chief weeks before opening

NYSE - LSE

CMSC	-0.09%	21.29	$
RYCEF	-0.24%	20.7	$
JRI	-0.58%	12.329	$
BCC	-0.74%	78.19	$
BTI	-0.28%	56.125	$
RBGPF	-0.62%	70.69	$
BP	-0.93%	41.95	$
GSK	0.26%	50.401	$
RIO	-1.66%	103.07	$
BCE	-0.19%	23.355	$
VOD	0.69%	15.99	$
NGG	-0.13%	79.33	$
RELX	0.41%	36.45	$
CMSD	-0.02%	21.175	$
AZN	-1.65%	161.85	$

Indonesia replaces new capital chief weeks before opening

ECONOMY 05.06.2024

Indonesia replaces new capital chief weeks before opening / Photo: © AFP

Indonesia's president has replaced the head of the country's new capital city, in a surprise shakeup just weeks before the controversial $32 billion project officially opens on Borneo island.

Text size:

The capital of Southeast Asia's biggest economy will formally move in August from traffic-clogged and sinking Jakarta to the planned city of Nusantara.

The legacy project by outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo has been hampered by a lack of foreign investment, land ownership issues and delays.

"President Jokowi has conducted a leadership change," Bambang Susantono, the outgoing official, wrote on Instagram late Tuesday.

"Allow me to apologise for any mistakes and shortcomings in my duties," added Bambang, a former Asian Development Bank official.

The Indonesian government said he resigned without explanation and would be replaced by Basuki Hadimuljono, the country's public works and housing minister.

Bambang's deputy, Dhony Rahajoe, was replaced by a deputy agrarian minister.

The sudden change was described as "shocking and strange" by opposition lawmaker Mardani Ali Sera.

Both officials were known for their professionalism and careful approach to the megaproject, he told AFP.

The new city is scheduled to begin operating as the country's new political centre on August 17, Indonesia's independence day.

Environmentalists have warned that the planned city will speed up deforestation in one of the world's largest stretches of tropical rainforest.

The Indonesian government aims to have 1.9 million people living in Nusantara by 2045, importing a wave of human and industrial activity into the heart of Borneo.

Thousands of civil servants are expected to move to the city in September to begin work, but Jakarta's plan has already been delayed by several months due to slow construction.

A.S. Leite--JDB

Featured

SmartMarket Solutions Announces Its BBB Accreditation with an A+ Rating

SmartMarket Solutions, the company behind the AI-managed "SmartMart" vending opportunity, is a Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accredited Business and holds an A+ rating, the highest rating the BBB assigns.

Meta's teen safety deal runs into an unsolved problem: proving age

Meta's landmark settlement with nearly every US state promises curfews and time limits for teens on Instagram and Facebook -- but rests on age and parent checks nobody has figured out how to make work.

Fed chair Warsh flags high US inflation as 'concerning'

US Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh on Friday offered rare insight into his economic outlook, flagging that high inflation in the world's largest economy was "concerning" and saying that he saw current interest rates as not being "restrictive."

Same Election Question, Two Different Odds: Predictions.io Launches Free Cross-Venue Comparison Tools

As prediction-market volume hits record highs and regulators circle, identically worded midterm questions are trading several points apart depending on the venue. Predictions.io now tracks 9,700+ markets across Kalshi, Polymarket and Manifold in one place - with free fee and odds calculators so traders can see what a price actually costs them.