All existing presidential palaces, other than Nusantara's Palace complex and the Tampaksiring Palace in Bali, were constructed before Indonesia's independence in 1945.
"The current State Palace, for instance, was once used by Dutch Governor-General Pieter Gerardus van Overstraten," the President noted while giving instructions to regional leaders at Nusantara's State Palace on Tuesday.
The two presidential palaces in Jakarta — the Merdeka Palace and the State Palace — were occupied by governor-generals of the Dutch East Indies during colonial times, he said.
Governor-General Johan Wilhelm van Lansberge was among the past occupants of the Merdeka Palace and Governor-General Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff also occupied the Bogor Palace, he expounded.
He noted that the same palace used by the Dutch governor-generals some centuries ago has housed Indonesia's presidents from the Independence era until the present day.
"Our presidents have occupied the palaces for 79 years now. No wonder I feel the 'colonial reek' every day when I am there," he added.
Hence, Jokowi said that Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara, reflects the nation's capability to develop its capital and presidential palace from scratch to fit its aspirations and designs, although the process will take decades.
"It still requires a long time. It was started in 2021–2022 and will be completed in about 10–15 years," he added.
He underlined that so far, Nusantara's construction progress has only reached 20 percent.
The president emphasized that the construction projects in Nusantara will not only cover the Core Government Area (KIPP), which includes the Presidential Palace, Vice President's Palace, and offices of ministries, but also facilities outside the KIPP area.
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Translator: Mentari Dwi G, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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