Sapto Yunus – Member of Commission VII of the People's Representative Council (DPR) Bambang Haryo Soekartono said the Indonesian government needs to immediately evaluate the plan to relocate its capital city from Jakarta to the Nusantara New Capital City, or IKN, in Penajam Paser Utara Regency, East Kalimantan.

He mentioned that the proposal is to ensure that IKN is able to replace Jakarta as the capital city and also as the center of government.

"The government needs to immediately evaluate and decide on the best steps so that the people are not sacrificed for the interests of the development of IKN," he said as quoted from a written statement on Sunday, October 10, 2025.

According to the Gerindra Party Expert Council Member, the development of IKN needs to consider the readiness of transportation infrastructure comprehensively. Thus, mobility to the new center of government can be ensured.

Bambang stated that transportation access is key to ensure effective mobility to the new center of government without burdening the public. According to his calculations, if 2 million people go to IKN, and the plane tickets cost Rp 1.5 million, then transportation costs amount to Rp 6 trillion for a round trip to IKN. This figure does not include accommodation costs of Rp 2 trillion per day. In total, it will amount to Rp 8 trillion per day or Rp 2.920 trillion per year.

He assessed that if IKN becomes the official center of government, most interested parties including large companies, State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), and the DPR will heavily rely on air and sea transportation.

Bambang compared Jakarta with IKN. Jakarta, as the center of government, has various modes of transportation, ranging from walking, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, to trains.

The alumnus of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) also highlighted the limitations of air transportation capacity. Indonesia has around 450 planes with a capacity of 200 passengers, totaling 360 thousand passengers per day, far below the estimated 2 million passengers needed. Sultan Aji Balikpapan Airport can only accommodate 30 planes or about 45 thousand passengers per day.

As for the IKN airport, it can only accommodate around 600 passengers per day. "Where will the passengers be accommodated and what mode of transportation will they use? This needs to be thoroughly studied," he said.

DPR supports Prabowo's conditions before IKN is designated through a presidential regulation

Previously, member of Commission II of the DPR Mohamad Toha said he supports President Prabowo Subianto's stance that requires infrastructure readiness before signing the presidential decision (keppres) on the relocation of the capital to IKN in East Kalimantan.

"I fully support Mr. Prabowo's stance in not rushing to sign the presidential regulation on the capital relocation. The readiness of facilities and infrastructure, including transportation access, communication networks, and government facilities, is the key to ensuring that the transition process does not disrupt public services," Toha said in a written statement on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

The legislator from the United Development Party (PKB) faction assessed that the approach taken by Prabowo is very rational and prioritizes long-term interests. According to Toha, the capital relocation should not be done haphazardly, hastily, and should be carefully calculated.

Toha also emphasized that political support for the IKN project must be based on objective conditions in the field. "The next three years are an ideal time to ensure that everything goes according to plan. The capital relocation should not be done just for symbolism, but it is not ready to support the functions of the government," he said.As a member of the Commission II which deals with domestic government affairs, Toha also emphasized the importance of involving the public in the development of IKN. "The future government must continue to involve the local community and make IKN a model for a future city that is inclusive, green, and technology-based," he said.

Meanwhile, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi stated that the completeness of facilities and infrastructure is the main requirement for President Prabowo to sign the presidential regulation for the relocation of the capital. The facilities include executive, legislative, and judiciary infrastructure.

"The government targets the readiness of these facilities and infrastructure to be realized within the next three years," said Prasetyo at the Presidential Palace Complex, Central Jakarta, on Friday, July 25, 2025. He also mentioned that the government requires a large budget to realize this.

This Gerindra Party politician explained the reason why Prabowo has not yet signed the presidential regulation for the relocation of the national capital to IKN. He said that Prabowo is still waiting for the readiness of the facilities and infrastructure in IKN.

"Facilities and infrastructure, requirements that we feel must be met before deciding or the president signs the presidential regulation for the relocation of the capital," he said.

Prasetyo stated that the government estimates that the facilities and infrastructure in IKN can be completed within three years. The IKN authority is currently building infrastructure to carry out legislative, executive, and judiciary functions.

He said the government accepts all proposals, including a moratorium on the development of IKN. However, he said the government is committed to completing the development of IKN as soon as possible. "The IKN authority is working hard, as requested by the President, to complete it as soon as possible," he said.

The development of IKN was aggressively carried out during the second period of former President Joko Widodo's administration. Jokowi even held the August 17, 2025 ceremony at the IKN Presidential Palace. However, the relocation of the capital from Jakarta to IKN needs to be ratified by a presidential regulation.

– Daniel Ahmad Fajri, Dani Aswara, Hendrik Yaputra, and Antara contributed to the writing of this article.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2038892/why-immediate-evaluation-of-the-capital-relocation-to-ikn-is-crucia