During a virtual public consultation regarding the Draft Amendment to Law Number 3 of 2022 in Jakarta on Friday, he said that even though he has been in his position for less than a year, he gathered the courage to convey to President Joko Widodo that the law needs to be amended.
The purpose of the law revision is to strengthen the authority of OIKN.
"(Various parties) then started to discuss, and there were several views. 'Sir, this is a political year, it is dangerous. It has not been a year since the law has been changed, which means it is not ready,'" Rahajoe revealed.
"Why not? Do we have experience building a capital city? No, and the only country in the world that moves its capital city from one island to another is Indonesia," he added.
He compared the transfer of Indonesia's capital city with some other countries that kept their capitals on the same land: Myanmar moved its capital from Yangon to Naypyidaw; Australia, from Melbourne to Canberra; and Brazil, from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia.
"The technical risk (of moving the capital city between islands) is high; we can't do that if we don't have the authority; we can't do that if this authority continues to clash with sectoral laws," he stressed.
According to Rahajoe, various sectors must be taken into account in managing IKN, such as the placement of airports that are not built in the IKN area, so surrounding cities such as Samarinda and Balikpapan must also be developed.
"The concept of triangle cities has to be applied. How is the connectivity of IKN with Balikpapan and with Samarinda? The electricity, the trains, the toll roads, all of this has to be integrated, and that requires authority, and you need to talk to the local governments, and so on," he said.
During the occasion, which became a platform for public consultation to amend Law Number 3 of 2022, his side is open to input from various groups to improve the legal infrastructure and revise regulations related to IKN.
"My suggestion, set our goals first to make East Kalimantan, IKN, Balikpapan, and Samarinda a new gateway for Indonesia, a new paradise for all of us," Rahajoe stated.
"When there are any obstacles... let's talk about them and find a solution," he added.
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Translator: M Baqir Idrus Alatas, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Anton Santoso
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