tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2026716275441302104.post4345090025190660547..comments2023-11-09T03:37:27.062+07:00Comments on Geografika Nusantara: A Capital On The Move?Geografika Nusantarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02009398091652720545noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2026716275441302104.post-75091705726616361232011-09-18T15:26:17.340+07:002011-09-18T15:26:17.340+07:00Hi Scott. Thanks for the comment. To tell you th...Hi Scott. Thanks for the comment. To tell you the truth, I don't think the problems Indonesia faces can be solved merely by changing the capital. Some of the arguments for it, including the traffic and the water problems of Jakarta are problems that need to be fixed anyway and that could be addressed with a concerted effort. For example, they had the idea to build a monorail to ease traffic in Jakarta and even started building it, but it fell apart (i think) due to funding concerns. I don't see any technical problems to building a monorail; it's all capacity and will. The busway was a step in the right direction, but in my mind it's not run very well. Until these basic problems of capacity are solved there will always be problems whether they move the capital or not. It would be hugely expensive, and from what I've seen the construction industry is one of the hotbeds for corruption, so I would imagine it would be a feeding frenzy for those with the right connections.<br /><br />The second part of your question I think relates to what a lot of folks call the "Java Bias". I don't think moving the capital would help much because Java is so ingrained in the central government. But the decentralization that has taken place over the past 10 years may do more to address that than moving the capital. I point to one example: last time I was in Jogja one of my friends there told me that it is slowly losing its lustre as a university town. One of the several reasons for this is that newly-empowered regency governments are more interested in hiring the products of their own universities rather than people that were educated in Jogja. Thus I think slowly you might see the bureaucratic ranks filled with more local folks, and that might eventually filter up to the central government.Geografika Nusantarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02009398091652720545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2026716275441302104.post-17664593900489474432011-09-16T11:08:55.088+07:002011-09-16T11:08:55.088+07:00Hi Keith, another great piece.
From your personal...Hi Keith, another great piece.<br /><br />From your personal experiences, do you think Indonesia would benefit most from a potential capital change to another city on Java or a shift to another island? Is a planned city like Palangkaraya, with all its potential benefits, considered a serious contender with such a huge disparity between Javan and Bornean populations?<br /><br />Terima kasih,<br />ScottAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com