JakartaPost-Aug 11
As Independence Day inches closer, the government is ramping up its preparations for the simultaneous celebrations in Jakarta and the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) in East Kalimantan, spending more money than in previous years. Construction work in Nusantara was paused on Saturday to prepare for the city’s first-ever Independence Day celebration on Aug. 17. In a preparation event on Saturday, the nation’s flag and a copy of the text of the proclamation of independence were transported from the National Monument in Jakarta to the IKN, marking the first time they have ever left Jakarta. The event in Jakarta also involved hundreds of the capital’s Abang None pageant participants, flag bearers and students from various schools. The flag and the proclamation text are now being stored at the new Garuda Palace in Nusantara. “The event is a symbol of teamwork and synergy between Jakarta and Nusantara,” Presidential Secretariat head Heru Budi Hartono, who is also the interim Jakarta governor, said on Saturday. Outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and president-elect Prabowo Subianto are slated to commemorate Independence Day in Nusantara, while Vice President Ma’ruf Amin and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son, will join the event in Jakarta. Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the Democratic Party has confirmed he will not be attending the Aug. 17 celebrations in Nusantara, while his predecessor Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has neither accepted nor declined her invitation. The 79th Independence Day has raked in more state funding than ever before according to State Secretary Pratikno, given that it will be celebrated in both Jakarta and Nusantara. Pratikno said the budget ballooned because the government paid for hotels and buses for guests who will attend the ceremony in Nusantara. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2024/08/11/government-ramps-up-preparation-for-first-independence-day-in-nusantara.html.
