Indonesia's new capital Nusantara opens to the public

 

The Garuda Palace, the future Presidential Palace is seen alongside ministerial offices under construction in the new capital city of Nusantara on Aug16, 2024. - Reuters

JAKARTA: Following years of closed-door construction, the country’s future capital of Nusantara in East Kalimantan is now accessible to the general public, with hundreds of visitors, including foreign tourists, having already visited the new city on Monday (Sept 16).

The Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority announced the opening of parts of the city to the public in a press statement on Sunday, saying that the new city will open every day from 9am to 5pm, with a maximum of 300 visitors a day.

To take a tour of the city, visitors need to register themselves on a Nusantara-dedicated app called IKNOW. Once they have booked their slots,they are instructed to gather at the meeting points near Nusantara, where they will be picked up by electric bus.

The buses will drop visitors at the station near Nusantara’s Ceremony Plaza and the Kusuma Bangsa Park, two spots inside Nusantara that are open to the public.

The Ceremony Plaza is a sprawling field that directly faces the State Palace and the Garuda Palace, and is also fitted with a mini amphitheatre, forest trail, retail gallery and visitor centre.

The Kusuma Bangsa Park covers nearly 2,000sq m and has sculptures designed by renowned Balinese artist Nyoman Nuarta, who was also responsible for designing the steel blades of the Garuda Palace structure that emulate the wings of the mythical Garuda bird, the nation’s symbol.

IKN Authority spokesperson Troy Pantouw said that it is hoped that opening Nusantara to the public will promote the city’s development and increase public participation in the process.

“The goal is to let the public experience Nusantara in person and witness its progress,” he said on Monday.

Troy went on to say that he himself guided dozens of visitors during Nusantara’s opening day on Monday.

“I interacted with them at the Ceremony Plaza. They expressed pride and excitement about seeing the city they’ve only seen in the media. I am moved by the enthusiasm and optimism of the visitors from various cities and backgrounds,” he added. - The Jakarta Post/ANN