President Jokowi Appoints Acting Head of the New Capital City Authority (IKN)
Following the sudden resignation of IKN Head Bambang Susantono and his Deputy, on June 3rdPresident Jokowi appointed Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono as the Acting Head of the IKN. In the same Presidential Decree, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency Raja Juli Antoni was appointed as Acting Deputy Head.
Basuki Hadimuljano and Raja Juli Antoni are now mandated to work on issues related to land development, establish a regional government structure and accelerate the installation of power and gas systems in Nusantara. On June 14, Bambang Susantono was reportedly named as a special presidential envoy for international cooperation at IKN and will work closely with the Acting Head.
President Jokowi’s ambitious plan to inaugurate Nusantara during his term faced setbacks due to challenges in securing funding. Doubts persist among investors due to the resignation, status of land ownership and other disruptions. Internal sources suggest that the inauguration of Nusantara as Indonesia’s new capital city, scheduled for August 17 Independence Day, might be postponed due to the current clean water crisis.