TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto has set a target date of August 17, 2028, for the commencement of government operations in the new capital city of Nusantara or IKN. This timeline was revealed by Public Works and Public Housing Minister Dody Indra Wirawan.

“President Prabowo's target is to start working there on August 17, 2028, at the latest by August 17, 2029, for the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches, along with all supporting civil servants,” said Dody as reported by Antara.

Dody emphasized that the current focus of the Nusantara development is on ensuring the readiness of essential infrastructure to accommodate the smooth transition of government operations. “So that the executive, judiciary, and legislative can start working in the National Capital Nusantara as soon as possible.”

Despite the current main focus on accelerating food self-sufficiency, the government will continue the development of IKN.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Coordinating Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) revealed that the IKN development in East Kalimantan will continue with a focus on completing the government center as instructed by the President.

Tempo Magazine reported on December 8, 2024, that despite the target, Prabowo has yet to sign the presidential decree formalizing the capital city relocation.

Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, clarified that the President is not bound by a strict deadline for signing the decree. He emphasized that Prabowo prioritizes the completion of infrastructure development in IKN before issuing the formal decree.

The government has scaled back its IKN budget for the upcoming year. The 2025 budget allocation for IKN has been reduced to Rp15 trillion, lower than this year's allocation of Rp44 trillion. This reduction comes despite the estimated total cost of the IKN project reaching Rp466 trillion.

Furthermore,  the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform is currently developing a comprehensive plan for the relocation of civil servants or PNS to IKN.

“It's being designed, progressing. We know that there were only four coordinating ministries (Kemenko) at first, now there are seven Kemenko,” said Deputy Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform, Purwadi Arianto in Jakarta on Monday, December 9, 2024.

He also mentioned incentives to encourage civil servants to relocate to IKN, aiming to make the transition as smooth as possible. "We are discussing it. Hopefully, it (incentive) will make it easier for them, so they will be attracted to go there (IKN),” Purwadi said, adding that the relocation will be a gradual process.

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