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Achmad Apriyanto Romadhan during an interview. (Photo: Special)
After going through a very long debate and controversy, the plan was to move Indonesia's capital city to East Kalimantan in two areas, namely Kutai Kartanegara Regency and North Penajam Paser Regency, entered a new phase. The DPR officially ratified Tuesday, January 18, the National Capital Law (IKN). However, by taking Nusantara as the capital's name, this ambitious project still leaves many problems.
This was highlighted by the lecturer of Governmental Sciences at UMM Malang, Ach. Apriyanto, S.IP., M.Sc. The lecturer born in Pamekasan, East Java, who is also currently the Secretary of Study Program, sees many problems in this policy. First, the discussion process until the ratification is speedy. "If you look at this law, it is the fastest law in the history of law formation in Indonesia. The problem is the minimal involvement of public participation so that it is less democratic. This law seems so forced that the public's voice is no longer heard. For example, the crucial issue is the threat of a clean water crisis that the civil society coalition has repeatedly reminded," complained Apriyanto.
Second, these hundreds of trillion projects only benefit the interests of the political and business elites. This can be seen from the big players who control the land in IKN. "Look at the data released by the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam), which shows that there are 162 mining, forestry, oil palm plantations, and coal-fired power plants concessions in IKN. From the data, it can also be seen that at least more than 50 politicians related to concession ownership in IKN locations are close to even sitting in power. This is also reinforced from data from the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing that as many as 73,584 hectares of coal mining concessions in the IKN area contain 92 ex-mining holes. Although it looks like they are just sharing development projects, it is clear that they will benefit significantly because one of them will receive very expensive land/land compensation, "said Apriyanto.
Third, the sensitivity to the public interest is low. "Currently, the Indonesian economy is experiencing a shock due to Covid-19. Why not the 466 trillion budget not focus on economic recovery and social assistance for the poor. This is not to mention the portion of IKN financing, 53.5% comes from the APBN while 46.5% comes from the government and business entity (PPP) cooperation scheme, the private sector, and SOEs. The burden of our state budget will be heavier, which is very likely to be obtained from debt. This project is only an attempt by Jokowi to build a hard political legacy as the father of IKN. However, the timing is not right, and the arrangement process is still problematic. A good leader should not leave a legacy in the form of debt and environmental damage," closed Apriyanto
