Borneo forest emerges as front runner to replace Jakarta as Indonesia’s capital
- Bukit Soeharto in the centre of the country meets the criteria as it’s close to airports and free of earthquakes
- Current capital Jakarta is home to 30 million people and approaching total gridlock
A national forest on the island of Borneo has emerged as the front runner to be the location of Indonesia’s new capital, as the government eyes billions of dollars in potential savings over land acquisition costs.
With 68,000 hectares of government land readily available, Bukit Soeharto in East Kalimantan is now a favourite on President Joko Widodo’s shortlist of sites, according to governor Isran Noor.
It has easy access to two international airports and also meets the main criteria for the new capital set by the president, including being largely free from risk of natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods.
“I have talked to the president and he is said ‘it’s 90 per cent going to be East Kalimantan’. It’s in the middle of Indonesia and already has all the infrastructure in the vicinity,” Noor said.
“East Kalimantan is a strong candidate for the new capital as we fulfil almost every criteria,” he said.