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Following President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s statement on Wednesday night that the relocation of the national administration center from Jakarta should be considered, experts said the idea had merit. But to where?

The president, speaking to all of Indonesia’s governors in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, said Jakarta was already too crowded.

“Some 15 years ago there was a consideration that the capital be relocated to Jonggol in West Java,” Yudhoyono said. Jonggol is near Cikeas, where the president’s private residence is.

Yudhoyono said that when the monetary crisis hit Indonesia several years ago, ideas on relocating the capital were no longer heard. But the idea should now be reconsidered, he said.

However, he said the new capital should not be very far away from Jakarta for easy access.

Yayat Supriyatna, an urban planning expert at Trisakti University, told the Jakarta Globe that Jakarta did indeed need to have a little breathing space by moving the central government.

Yayat said that ideally, a city of Jakarta’s size should only accommodate 4 million to 5 million people, but its current population was 9.2 million, swelling to 12 million during the day time. He said the new capital should be near Jakarta, in Bekasi, Tangerang or Serang for example.

“Java Island is the most populated and strategic in the nation. The new capital should still be in the island but close to Jakarta, which has complete facilities like an international airport, educational centers and health facilities,” he said.

However, Siti Zuhro, a regional autonomy expert from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said the new capital should be farther away than Jonggol or Jakarta’s neighboring cities.

“If you want to move the capital, you better move it farther, such as to Kalimantan,” she said.

“Australia chose Canberra, while America chose Washington,” she said. “What is the different between Jakarta and Jonggol? It’s also densely populated and may cause traffic jams as well. If you want to move it, don’t do it half-heartedly.”

The idea that the capital be relocated to Palangkaraya was raised on Wednesday night, but the president said it would not be practical as it was too far from Jakarta.

Regardless of where the capital is moved, if at all, it would be a huge task.

“Moving central government would be a huge infrastructure burden and will cost a lot,” Yayat said.

Siti added that much preparation was needed. “I agree that Jakarta may not be good as a capital and we should think of moving to other cities, but not now without good planning.”



With additional reporting by Antara