TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority will finally begin operating from its new office in IKN, East Kalimantan, starting March 2025, announced Head of Public Communication Special Staff of IKN Authority, Troy Pantouw, in an official statement on Tuesday night, February 11, 2025.

"All IKN Authority activities are planned to be fully conducted in the Capital City of Nusantara, and all IKN Authority employees will start working in the newly completed IKN Authority Building in the Core Center of Government (KIPP)," said Troy.

This news follows recent attention on IKN, particularly regarding budget blocking revealed by Minister of Public Works, Dody Hanggodo, following a meeting at the House of Representatives (DPR) on Thursday, February 6, 2025.

The budget blocking was later confirmed by Hasan Nasbi, Head of the Presidential Communication Office. However, he explained that the blocking does not mean there is no budget for the construction of IKN. "The budget has not been unveiled. It is under the IKN Authority and the Ministry of Public Works," said Hasan at the PCO Office, Kwarnas Building, Gambir, Central Jakarta, Friday, February 7, 2025.

Hasan also conveyed that President Prabowo Subianto will continue the IKN construction for the next five years. The head of state has allocated Rp48 trillion and targets the completion of the construction of the government core center area and judicial and legislative buildings. "The rest will be encouraged to be built by the private sector," he said.

ASN Relocation Still Postponed

Although the IKN Authority is ready to fully operate in Nusantara starting next month, there is still no certainty as to when the State Civil Apparatus (ASN) of other ministries/agencies will follow suit.

Previously, the government set the relocation in July 2024. The target was then pushed back to September 2024 before the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB) through a circular letter B/5172/M.SM.01.00/2024 dated October 18, 2024, stated that the ASN relocation to IKN would be carried out in January 2025. However, this plan was entirely postponed.

Minister of PANRB Rini Widyantini said the delay was due to the ongoing organizational restructuring and work arrangements of some ministries/agencies of the Red and White Cabinet. Until now, she said, the ministries/agencies are still in the internal consolidation stage.

The Ministry of PANRB has not yet confirmed a new date for the ASN relocation to IKN. "The final time for the relocation of ASN to IKN will be announced later," wrote Rini in the Minister of PANRB's Letter Number B/380/SM.01.00/2025 dated January 24, 2025.

Hendrik Yaputra and Hammam Izzudin contributed to the writing of this article.

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