Indonesia celebrates Independence Day in future capital

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

Indonesia held scaled-back Independence Day celebrations in Nusantara yesterday as the government rushed to complete the future capital, which is slated to replace sinking and polluted Jakarta.

The $32-billion megaproject on Borneo island was expected to officially become Indonesia's political capital on Saturday, but construction delays and funding problems forced President Joko Widodo to defer signing a presidential decree sealing the move.

Widodo, more popularly known as Jokowi, attended the ceremony in Nusantara with cabinet ministers and military brass as he sought to reassure potential investors of the project's viability before he leaves office after a decade in power.

He was the first president to attend a state ceremony in the unfinished capital.

But Jokowi did not address attendees at the celebration, which included a prayer and military parade, a day after he gave his final state of union address to parliament touting his economic record but not mentioning the new capital.

His successor Prabowo Subianto, who will take office in October, also attended the ceremony in Nusantara.

Fewer than 2,000 others attended, however, as a lack of accommodation and ongoing construction forced the guest list to be slashed back from 8,000.