Jokowi Chooses Nusantara as Indonesia’s New Capital Name, Says Minister

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has decided to choose Nusantara (archipelago) as the name of the country’s new capital city in East Kalimantan, said an official on Monday, Jan. 17.

“I received a confirmation from the President last Friday and he said that the name of the new capital city is Nusantara,” said National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) head Suharso Monoarfa in a meeting at the House of Representatives building in Jakarta.

He told the special committee for the new capital city’s establishment that the reason for selecting Nusantara was because the name has been well known since a long time ago.

“It has been known for a long time, it is iconic internationally, easy and it describes the archipelago of the Republic of Indonesia,” Suharso said.

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Previously, the name of the new capital city was not stated in the capital city bill. It was only written as “the capital city […]” or known by its Indonesian acronym IKN. Before, Jokowi has received 80 proposed names, including Negara Jaya, Nusantara Jaya, Nusa Karya, Pertiwipura, and Cakrawalapura. “Finally, the choice goes to Nusantara but without the word Jaya [glorious],” said Suharso, who is also the chairman of the United Development Party (PPP).

He said the government had asked for recommendations from linguists and historians before choosing the most appropriate name for the new capital city.

The new capital city will be built as a smart city. All regulations are expected to be completed this month. The government has also begun to map out several ministries and institutions that will first be relocated to the North Penajam Paser regency in East Kalimantan.

Jokowi said the construction of the new capital city was not only about relocating government offices. However, the development new capital city should reflect a competitive city at the global level.

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