Indonesia is facing an existential threat as Jakarta, its capital, is sinking in some places by up to a foot a year due to climate change and illegal wells. To deal with this, President Joko Widodo has devised an audacious solution: He is moving the country’s capital. The new capital, Nusantara, is being built from the ground up, about 800 miles from the current capital. Joko promises that the city will be a model of environmental stewardship, carbon neutral within a few decades.
The move is also an attempt to shift the country’s politics and economy away from Java, which has long dominated the country. Nusantara is in Borneo, where residents have felt overlooked. Despite the ambitious plans, it remains unclear whether the project will succeed. Joko wants the new capital to open next year, before his second term as president ends.
The move is a symbol of hope for the developing world, showing that a country can succeed on its own terms and create its own vision for itself. It is a challenging task, but one that could have a lasting impact on the future of Indonesia.