The formal inauguration of Nusantara as the new capital of Indonesia will take place on August 17, when the country's Independence Day is celebrated. A new presidential palace, Garuda, was quickly built in the city center for the occasion, and the president plans to move there in the future. After that, other Indonesian authorities will also be gradually moved to Nusantara, which is expected to take up to 20 years.
All the presidential palaces in the current capital city of Jakarta were constructed before Indonesia gained independence and were occupied by governor-generals of the Dutch East Indies in colonial times, Widodo, who ordered the construction of a new capital, said.
"The current State Palace, for instance, was once used by Dutch Governor-General Pieter Gerardus van Overstraten ... Our presidents have occupied the palaces for 79 years now. No wonder I feel the 'colonial reek' every day when I am there," Widodo was quoted as saying by the ANTARA news agency.
At the same time, Nusantara demonstrates Indonesia's ability to build a new capital and a new presidential palace from scratch, the president added.
"It still requires a long time. It was started in 2021-2022 and will be completed in about 10–15 years," ANTARA quoted him as saying.
Nusantara is only completed at 20% at the moment, the president said.
The ambitious project to move the Indonesian capital from the overcrowded Jakarta to a new city built in a forest area in the East Kalimantan province was launched by Widodo in 2019.
Indonesia was a colony of the Netherlands from 1826 to 1942, when it fell under Japanese occupation. The country's independence was declared only in 1945.