But the president's plan will probably meet resistance from civil servants and oligarchs
JAKARTA IS bursting at the seams. Around 10m people squeeze into Indonesia's chaotic capital, with another 20m in the surrounding metropolitan area. Rapid urbanisation and a woeful lack of buses and trains have left the roads heavily jammed. In 2016, a survey found that the city had the worst traffic in the world. Businesspeople, fed up with spending an hour in a taxi getting to a meeting just a few blocks away, speak over Skype instead.
It is partly for these reasons that Joko Widodo, Indonesia's president, known as Jokowi, wants to move the capital. On April 29th, after a cabinet meeting on the topic, Bambang Brodjonegoro, the head of the National Development Planning Agency, announced the government's plans. A precise site for the new capital has not been chosen, but it will not be on Java, the island where Jakarta is located.
Borneo could benefit in other ways. Its dense and luscious rainforests have long suffered at the hands of natural-resource firms, like those involved in palm oil and coal mining, whose razing of trees and polluting of rivers goes largely unpunished. Getting away with these environmental sins is made easier by the island’s sparse population and remoteness from policymakers.
If the plan is implemented, there is no reason why it would not work. Fewer Jakartans would reduce the strain on the city's roads and rivers. And the experience of other countries suggests that when civil servants move, private-sector jobs follow, often in services like law and consulting.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Abandon Jakarta: Indonesia again mulls plan for new capitalJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia's decades-long discussion about building a new capital has inched forward after President Joko Widodo on Monday approved a long-term plan for the government to...
Read more »
Indonesia plans to move capital city out of crowded Java islandIndonesia's president has decided to move the capital of the world's f...
Read more »
Indonesia plans to move capital city out of crowded Java islandIndonesia's president has decided to move the capital of the world's f...
Read more »
Indonesian president plans to move capital city: planning ministerIndonesian President Joko Widodo has decided to move the capital of Southeast As...
Read more »
Trump Town: Netanyahu wants to repay Trump’s Golan move with a community named in his honorIt’s one more sign of the flourishing relationship between the prime minister and president.
Read more »
Lyft sinks to new low after Uber files to go publicLyft shares touched a record low on Friday morning after its ride-hailing rival Uber filed to go public.
Read more »
Ending tough week, Tesla shares sink to lowest in two yearsTesla Inc's stock price slumped 5% on Friday to its lowest in two years, ro...
Read more »
Cries of panic as boat with Venezuelan migrants sank'That was a miracle, an incredible thing, like something out of a movie.' Woman who managed to survive after her boat sank in the Caribbean highlights the risks that Venezuelans are taking to leave the country after years of dire economic conditions.
Read more »
Danish fishing communities fear Brexit could sink themIn the small fishing town of Thyboron on the northwestern coast of Denmark, many...
Read more »
Aussie sinks on soft inflation, dollar near 22-month high on strong U.S. dataThe Australian dollar tumbled to a six-week low on Wednesday as soft domestic in...
Read more »