Indonesia’s first Cabinet minister starts work in Nusantara despite new capital’s lack of basic amenities
Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi worked for three days in the newly completed ministerial residence, then returned to Jakarta on the weekend.
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SINGAPORE: Indonesian Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi has become the first member of President Joko Widodo's Cabinet to start work in the country’s new capital, Nusantara.
Mr Budi Karya began working from his ministerial residence in the city, also known as IKN, on Thursday (Jul 11).
"I have been operating from my ministerial residence at IKN for the past two days," he told local media on Friday.
Mr Budi Karya conducted various meetings with officials from his new base, including Mdm Silvia Halim, deputy IKN head for infrastructure and facilities and Madam Wida Nurfaida, director of road development at the Ministry of Public Works and Housing.
"We discussed various issues related to the readiness of transportation infrastructure in IKN, such as the progress of Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) infrastructure development ... and traffic management strategies for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations," Mr Budi Karya said.
The ART development refers to the Smart transportation plans for trains that will run on streets in the IKN Central Government district (KIPP).
Mr Budi Karya’s relocation comes as Indonesia prepares to transfer capital city status from Jakarta in Java to Nusantara in East Kalimantan. But the shift has met with a series of stumbling blocks.
Last week, Mr Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, delayed his move to Nusantara amid a scramble to get its supply of drinking water and electricity up and running.
He had previously expressed confidence in relocating his office to East Kalimantan by early July.
The ambitious US$32 billion project has also been struggling to attract investors and has experienced delays, with key infrastructure still not completed just weeks before Indonesia's Independence Day celebrations on Aug 17, when Nusantara’s official inauguration is slated to take place.
Jokowi has not yet signed a presidential decree to formalise Nusantara as the new capital, leaving the relocation plan in limbo.
He also said that the decree could be signed by his incoming successor, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, who will be sworn in as president on Oct 20.
“We don't want to force something that is not yet (ready); don't force it," Mr Widodo told media in Jakarta on Jul 8.
Minister of Public Works and Housing Basuki Hadimuljono attributed delays in IKN construction to bad weather.
"The heavy rains have significantly impacted our timeline," Mr Basuki noted, although he has assured that water supply would begin on Jul 18.
Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Ms Adita Irawati told news platform Kompas that Mr Budi Karya worked in Nusantara for three days and returned to Jakarta on Saturday.
Addressing concerns about basic utilities like water and electricity in IKN, Ms Adita said that these issues did not disrupt the working operations conducted by the minister.
"Basic amenities were being provided (in IKN) and our office operations were at a small scale only," she added.
