COM 654

(ASIAN POLITICS)

GROUP ASSIGNMENT

CASE STUDY: INDONESIA

Strategic Plans and Planning Process of the New Capital

NAME STUDENT ID
MOHD TAUFIQ BIN GHAZALI 2017691986
ZAITON BINTI MOHAMAD KHALID 2017842458

NOOR IZZATUL AZMIRA BINTI KAMAL SUHAILI 2017481968

PROGRAMME:

BACHELOR OF MASS COMMUNICATION (HONS) PUBLIC RELATIONS

GROUP: NMCP8A

PREPARED FOR:
MR AHMAD FARAMI BIN ABDUL KARIM

SUBMISSION DATE:
17th FEB 2021
1.0 INDONESIA: COUNTRY BACKGROUND

Indonesia used to be known as the Netherlands East Indians (or Netherlands East
Indies). While Indonesia was not officially named the country before Independence, it was
used by a German geographer as early as 1884, and it was believed to originate in the Greek
Indian indo which meant "India" and Nesos which means "Island." Indonesia is one of the
largest archipelago countries in the world with an estimated more than thousand islands,
located between the Asian continent and the Australian continent and between the Indian Ocean
and the Pacific Ocean. Indonesia's Southeast Asian country consists of over 17,000 tropical
and volcanic islands between the Indian and Pacific oceans that straddle the equator. The major
regions of Indonesia include the islands of Java, Bali, and Sumatra, and large portions of
Borneo and New Guinea (a contested region).

The government system is a republic; the chief of state and the head of government is
the president. Indonesia has a mixed economic system which includes a variety of private
freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation. Indonesia
is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Indonesia today is home to more than three hundred ethnic groups, with around five
hundred languages and dialects spoken. Eighty-seven percent of the population is Islamic, or
some 200 million citizens, making Indonesia the world's largest Muslim country. Indonesia is
a republic with a presidential system. As a unitary state, power is concentrated in the central
government. The head of state, the commander-in-chief of the Indonesian National Armed
Forces, and the director of domestic government, policy-making, and foreign affairs are the
President of Indonesia. A council of ministers is named by the president, who are not expected
to be elected representatives of the legislature.

2.0 CURRENT CAPITAL: JAKARTA

Over the past few months, air quality in the city has plummeted, recording worse
conditions in June than notoriously polluted cities such as Delhi and Beijing, leading a coalition
of activists and ecologists to sue the government for action. This has caused Jakarta to deal
with a massive environmental burden as well.

Due to subsidence, the areas of northern Jakarta, including the seawall built to shield
them, are expected to drop to 25cm per year. Jakarta depend primarily on wells that draw water
from shallow aquifers, leading to the collapse of the land above it. The town does not pipe in
enough drinkable water.

The issue has been compounded by the proliferation of new blocks of homes, shopping
centres and even government buildings, and the possibility of catastrophic flooding has
increased. In the past three years, the government has conducted in-depth studies and the new
capital will be established as a result of those studies in part of the North Penajam Paser regency
and part of the Kutai Kertanegara regency in East Kalimantan.

2.1 JAKARTA HISTORY

The largest city and capital of Indonesia is Jakarta. On the northwest coast of Java,
Jakarta is situated at the mouth of the Ciliwung (Liwung River), on Jakarta Bay (an embayment
of the Java Sea). It is coextensive with the metropolitan district of Greater Jakarta (Jakarta
Raya) and nearly coextensive with the daerah khusus ibukota (special capital district) of
Jakarta—the latter also including a number of small offshore islands in the Java Sea.

After Indonesia's independence, Jakarta has undergone enormous growth and

development. The city started its transition during the 1950s, as President Sukarno funded
large-scale building projects. Infrastructure in the region has been modernized, and office
towers have grown. Jakarta became one of tropical Asia's largest metropolises and emerged
during the tenure of Suharto, whose rule was characterized by systemic corruption and
nepotism, as a financial and commercial hub.

The city and the nation were hit hard by a financial crisis in Asia in 1997-98 after
decades of economic growth. There were massive anti-government demonstrations and rioting,
taking the lives of more than 500 people; in 1998, Suharto was forced to resign. Thus, at the
beginning of the 21st century, Indonesia and Jakarta were experiencing a dramatic economic,
political, and social change.

2.0 CURRENT STATE OF JAKARTA : THE SINKING CAPITAL

Jakarta is positioned on a low, flat alluvial plain with traditionally vast swampy areas;
the inland parts of the city are slightly higher. During the rainy season, it is quickly inundated.
The risk of flooding has been increased by the drainage of swamps for building purposes and
the steady decrease of upland forest vegetation.

With such an excess of water in the soil, Jakarta has a shortage of clean drinking water,
for which there is increasing demand. The area is quite fertile for fruit and other horticulture,
as most of the soil is of old volcanic origin.

2.1 The Climate

Jakarta is a humid, tropical region, with annual temperatures between the extremes of
24 and 34 °C (75 and 93 °F) and 75 to 85 percent relative humidity. Sometimes, temperatures
are altered by sea waves. Jakarta also has its share of air and noise pollution, like every other
major city. The diurnal temperature difference in Jakarta is at least five times higher than the
difference between the high and low temperatures of January and July; on an exceptionally hot
day in Jakarta, the temperature can reach almost 100 °F (38 °C) while on a particularly cool
day it can drop to about 65 °F (18 °C).
2.2 City layout

Indonesia's government has announced that the new capital city will be built on the
island of Borneo as congested and low-lying Jakarta sinks rapidly. In 10 years, North Jakarta
has sunk 2.5 m and continues to sink in some sections by as much as 25 cm a year, which is
more than double the global average for coastal megacities. Jakarta sinks by an average of 1-
15 cm a year and almost half of the city is now below sea level.

Jakarta could soon become the first megacity claimed by climate change, with sea level
rise, subsidence and political inertia. A last-ditch attempt to save the town might not be
adequate.
2.3 People

Jakarta is an archetypal Asian mega-city with a population of 10 million, or 30 million,

including those in its wider metropolitan area. The population of Jakarta has increased
dramatically since 1940. Much of that increase is attributed to immigration, which has
transformed Jakarta into one of the world’s largest urban agglomerations. Although
government regulations close the city to unemployed new settlers, better economic conditions
inevitably attract new people

3.0 EAST KALIMANTAN AS FUTURE CAPITAL

Indonesia has announced the site of the new Borneo capital. The President of Indonesia
has given fresh information on the location and cost of Borneo's new capital. Jakarta, the
capital, is overcrowded and sinking. President Joko Widodo revealed further details of
Indonesia's plans to move its capital to Borneo Island from overcrowded Jakarta. The new
capital will be situated between Samarinda City and the port city of Balikpapan in Borneo's
eastern Kalimantan province. Widodo said the relocation would cost $33 billion (€29.7 billion)
and start in 2024. The move is to be funded by the state, public-private partnerships and private
investment.

The President suggested moving the capital to East Kalimantan, but officials did not
indicate an exact location. Jakarta has a population of 10 million, including surrounding
regions, three times that number. It is located on Java Island, a commercial hub that accounts
for 58 percent of the gross domestic product of Indonesia and is home to about half of the 260
million population of the country.

Owing to the overuse of groundwater, Jakarta is vulnerable to flooding and is sinking.

Java is vulnerable to volcanoes and tsunamis as well. Out of respect for Borneo's vast forests
and endangered species, conservation groups have opposed proposals to move the capital.
3.1 ADVANTAGE OF MAKING EAST KALIMANTAN AS A CAPITAL

East Kalimantan is a region that subtly combines modernity with tradition; the roads
are improving, but the best attractions in the area are connected to its waterways. Journeys
along its canals as well as trips to floating markets imbue visitors with a taste of culture. One
of the last ports of the world's orang-utan population, East Kalimantan is home to a native
smorgasbord of indigenous tribes such as the Dayak. A red flag for adventure enthusiasts is the
region's sprawling mesh of mountains, forests and rivers. This part of Borneo is a relatively
unknown, undeveloped tourist destination and is divided into four provinces – east, south, west
and central East Kalimantan, preserving its abundant bounty.

There are many advantages to why East Kalimantan is the best choice as the future
capital of Indonesia. First one is the low possibility of natural disasters, including floods,
earthquakes, tsunami, land and forest fires; volcanic eruptions and landslides, second, it stands
in the middle of Indonesian archipelago. Furthermore, North Penajam Paser and Kutai
Kartanegara regencies are located near developed cities namely Balikpapan and Samarinda
making it a very strategic location. The region also has complete infrastructure. Both
Balikpapan and Samarinda have international airports. A toll road will also connect the two
cities in the near future and since Kalimantan is a state-owned land, the 180,000-Hectare area
in the location is suitable for the development of the new capital city.

3.2 EAST KALIMANTAN CAPACITY

 Indonesia's new capital is situated in the province of East Kalimantan, in the Indonesian
portion of the island of Borneo. He cited the need to ease the strain on Jakarta and the rest of
the island of Java and to improve the economy in other parts of the nation of the archipelago.
The new city will straddle two relatively undeveloped regions, Kutai Kertanegara and
Penajam Paser Utara. As the centre of governance, industry, finance, trade and services, the
burden Jakarta carries right now is too high. It is the location the government had previously
said it was considering close to Balikpapan and Samarinda, the two largest cities in the
province, which are a two-hour flight from Jakarta. The capital will be established on 180,000
hectares of government-owned land, thereby reducing land acquisition costs. In that region,
earthquakes, flooding and volcanic eruptions are less common.

The central bank and other economic institutions are set to remain in Jakarta while
several government agencies will move. The plan would see about 1 million individuals
moving from Jakarta to the new capital, making it a challenge to develop basic facilities such
as housing and schools.

3.3 TIMELINE FOR MOVING THE CAPITAL

In order to execute the plan, the Government has defined a timeline on the relocation
of the capital. In the first step, only 1.5 million residents will be housed in the new capital city.
There will be 195,500 civil servants, politicians, and law enforcement officials, 25,600 police
and military officers, 884,840 family members and 393,950 entrepreneurs. People will be
relocated within the five to ten years from the completion of the new construction of the capital
city

An initial research has started in 2017 on alternative sites, socio-economic effects, the
idea of capital city architecture and technological studies. Bambang Brodjonego, Minister for
National Development Planning, stated that the Government would carry out a number of
studies, appoint the locations and discuss with the House of Representatives the legal basis for
the relocation. The legal basis is drawn up to draft a bill of relocation for capital cities.
 In 2019, Indonesian’s president, Sukarno, announced that the capital of the nation will
move to a location on Borneo island, renowned for rain forests and orangutans, from
overeating, sinking and polluting Jakarta to a site in a sparsely populated East Kalimantan
province.

In 2020, land preparation begins; land status and basic infrastructure development are
ensured. In 2021, Bappenas would begin drawing up details of the master plan, the site plan,
the buildings and the basic infrastructure. From 2022 to 2024; the government will focus on
procurement, land acquisition, detailed engineering design, the ground-breaking of the new
capital city development plan and the capital development plans.

3.4 REASON BEHIND THE MOVE TO EAST KALIMANTAN AND OTHER

POLITICAL ISSUES IN INDONESIA

Strong political, cultural and historical perspectives are uncovered by the notion of
withdrawing the capital from Jakarta, let alone from Java. Since Indonesia began to realize its
independence at the end of 1949, Jakarta has served as the national capital. Known as Batavia,
it served as the centre of Dutch East Indies colonial rule from the beginning of the 17th century.
The relocation of the capital from Java to an outer island may be interpreted as somewhat
puzzling, considering that Jokowi is widely seen as a leader deeply embedded in the political
and cultural background of Javan.

Two key arguments have been formally taken forward. First, the extreme chronic urban
issues in Jakarta, such as overcrowding, traffic congestion, and heavy floods. Some of the
heavy pressure on Jakarta is thought to be relieved by the relocation. More favourable
conditions will emerge for the new capital, it is argued: a smart, modern, green forest-like city
and a melting pot of potential technological developments. The government says that by using
renewable energies and clean energy sources, the enormous forests in the proposed new capital
region would be covered and emissions minimized.
 Yet, environmental activists fear the move will have negative effects on the region:
damaging the forests that serve as significant habitat for rainforest wildlife spices, including
the remaining orangutan population; increasing pollution that is already on the rise there due
to coal mining, palm oil industries and extensive forest fires; posing difficulties for local
communities which dependent on the dwindling forests; escalating conflicts in the sparsely
populated region between indigenous communities and flocking migrants, as well as increasing
land grabs.

But the extreme urban difficulties in Jakarta are not enough to justify the capital move
away from Java, let alone that the idea of transferring the capital to another place in Java, not
far from Jakarta, has also been explored. A second official statement, therefore, seems to
indicate the reason for moving the capital away from Java. The relocation to East Kalimantan,
according to Jokowi, seeks to realize a national vision of economic equality and advanced
Indonesia, since the capital city also reflects the development of the country. Therefore, it
appears that this shift reflects the perception of the Jokowi administration that the national
development model should be modified from Java-centric to Indonesia-centric. Indeed, for
decades, regional disparities between the inner islands, Java in particular, and the outer islands
have been a major source of concern and conflict, particularly over the alleged discriminatory
Java-centric development policy.

In fact, the urban problems of Jakarta have sparked debates for decades about whether
the capital city will have to be relocated. Sukarno, the founding president of the nation and a
figure of inspiration for Jokowi, raised the idea of moving the capital to Central Kalimantan as
early as the 1950s. Interestingly, as it is now, Kalimantan, symbolizing the national center, was
mentioned in the same context as the geographic centre of Indonesia. But talking about the
problem had never progressed before. Even the idea of capital relocation raised during the first
tenure of Jokowi was said to dissipate quickly. And then, soon after Jokowi's re-election in
2019, conversation recurred, followed by a concrete plan.

Paradoxically, Javanese cultural perception of places may also enrich the understanding
of movements. In the Javanese worldview, location is argued to be a key determinant. Unrest,
disorder, and conflict, therefore, suggest that a certain place is a "wrong place" socially. In fact,
Java, and Jakarta in particular, carry the burden of historical narratives full of tension, conflict
and blood feuds through a clearer context that goes back beyond recent years. So perhaps the
Islamists' zealous antagonistic activity at the heart of Jakarta in recent years has pushed the
government to put into action, even unintentionally, a decades-long idea of moving the capital,
not just outside of Jakarta, but outside of Java. Nevertheless, there is sufficient reason to believe
that the relocation-related decision-making process, like other state decisions, has been deeply
grounded in systematic rational reasoning rather than cultural perceptions.

NEW LABOUR LAW- LEADING TO PROTEST IN 2020

Indonesia's new labour law, which they argue would undermine wages and benefits, as
well as the environment. The legislation is part of the President's attempts to put international
investors to justice in an attempt to accelerate economic development.

The new Job Creation Law, which was approved, is expected to bring radical changes
to Indonesia’s labour system and natural resources management. It amended 79 previous laws,
including the Labour Law, the Spatial Planning Law, and Environmental Management Law.

It aims to boost bureaucratic performance and more red tape as part of President Joko
Widodo's administration's efforts to attract further investment to the vast nation of the
archipelago, home to more than 270 million people. Supporters of the law say it will increase
employment at a time when a recession looms and when Indonesia is competitively falling
behind other Southeast Asian countries.

Unexpectedly, this has steered to thousands of Indonesian students and workers

protesting on Wednesday against a new law that they argue would cripple labor rights and harm
the environment, with some clashing with the police.

Seven parties in the House of Representatives accepted the law, although two others
opposed it, with their members leaving the plenary session. Approximately 2 million
employees from 32 lab or unions will actively participate in mass demonstrations and protests
in various cities for several days.

Authorities blocked streets leading to the local parliament building and city hall in
Bandung, the capital of West Java province, where clashes between rock-throwing students
and riot police broke out as police tried to disperse the demonstrators.

More than 3,000 demonstrators attempted to enter the heavily guarded parliament
building, including staff and high school and university students. Protesters set fires on tires
along closed highways, pelted rocks and gasoline bombs at the police and broke down the
parliament compound doors. Riot police replied by firing water cannons and tear gas.

Smaller protests also occurred in other Indonesian cities, including in Jakarta’s satellite
cities of Tangerang and Bekasi where large factories are located, and many cities on Sumatra
and Sulawesi islands. Besides that, thousands of workers from factories in Karawang, in West
Java, and Serang, in Banten province, also protested outside their factories. In dispersing the
demonstrators, the riot police only used tear gas and rubber bullets. Meanwhile the authorities
are still investigating the Bekasi violence in which both students and police have been
wounded.

Citizens are suffered a lot from this pandemic. The new omnibus law which is very
problematic to workers, would likely lead into judicial review, including by reducing
severance pay, removing restrictions on manual labor by foreign workers, increasing the use
of outsourcing, and converting monthly wages into hourly wages will definitely hurt and
burden them.
4.0 CONCLUSION

4.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN ASIAN POLITICS

Due to the heterogeneity of Asian countries there is not unanimous conclusions to be

drawn from the status quo of Public Relation in Asia. In many places, it still is a nascent field
on its way towards professionalization, communication professionals are trying to catch up
with the West, whilst at the same time working to develop their own specific

This interpretation of Asia's political thinking as it reacted to the three contextual

challenges of the classical, colonial, and contemporary periods takes us to the issue of an Asian
distinction with respect to modern Asian concepts of democracy and its related ideas of
freedom and equality.

While the constitutions of many Asian states, especially those of India and Japan, bear
the imprint of Western ideas and institutions, the origins of these ideas come from various
Asian cultures and historical experiences.

At source, though there is nothing in Asian culture or experience to do with

The fundamental contrast between Asia and the West over the balance between the individual
and the family is what might require a different concept in Asia to exclude democracy itself.
Family and its relations to the state and its loyalties come before the right to chart individual
destinies in all Asian countries.

Therefore, we need to put other words and principles into play in order to address
democracy in Asia. Democracy in Asia really should be put in the sense of a debate on statecraft
and political power.

In Asia, these issues or problems centered on creating justice and retaining social
hierarchy, although all Asian political structures understood that reciprocity and reciprocity
were better served by statecraft and political authority. Legitimizing their acts in ways that
have attracted popular support and motivation. For democracy in Asia, then, there are
contextual grounds, but not on the same egalitarian foundations as in the West.
 4.2 IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING ASIAN POLITICS

At the heart of this dispute is the argument about "Asian values" The unprecedented
economic growth witnessed in the countries of East Asia, often accomplished in different ways
than that of neo-liberal orthodoxy, has brought the political and social systems of these countries
to the fore. In contrast to the downturn of Western economies, the prosperity of these countries
and the tension that has emerged over trade protectionism, economic conditionality, democracy
and human rights have made the discussion on 'Asian principles' more than just an academic
exercise.
It is, in truth, strongly, maybe irredeemably, politicised. The contrast in fortunes has
intensified the social issues in the West and a number of political leaders - both in the East and
West - have indicated that the "Asian way" is the way forward. Though challenging the
universalization of liberal social ideas and revelling in higher growth rate than their former
colonial overlords, the key representatives of the "Asian values" thesis in Asia were able to
declare the ascendancy of "Asian values"
 5.0 REFERENCE

• Diplomat, G. (2020, March 28). The many reasons to MOVE Indonesia's capital.
Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/the-many-
reasons-to-move-indonesias-capital/

• Thousands of students, workers protest Indonesia labor law. (2020, October 07).
Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-
Pacific/2020/1007/Thousands-of-students-workers-protest-Indonesia-labor-law

• Lagerberg, K. (1979). West Irian and Jakarta imperialism. New York: St. Martin's
Press.

• Miller, F. P., Vandome, A. F., & McBrewster, J. (2010). History of Jakarta. Beau
Bassin, Mauritius: Alphascript Pub.

• Müller, K., & Pickell, D. (1996). Kalimantan: Indonesian Borneo. Singapore:

Periplus Editions.