Indonesian National Development Planning Minister, Suharso Monoarfa, announced on Monday that the country’s new capital in East Kalimantan province would be named Nusantara.
Monoarfa said in the meeting of a special committee for the establishment of the new capital, as quoted by Singaporean broadcaster Channel NewsAsia.
“I just received confirmation and direct orders from the president. He said the new capital is Nusantara,”
In 2019, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced the transfer of the country’s capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan to ease urban congestion and boost the economic development of East Kalimantan.
The cost of the transfer was estimated at $32 billion, the transfer was to begin in 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The relocation is now scheduled to begin in 2024.
In Indonesian, Nusantara means archipelago. Some members of the meeting expressed their concern that the name may be confusing.
They said the word was used to describe the country and suggested designating the new capital as special administration Nusantara to avoid confusion.
