Precis
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Indonesia’s
capital Jakarta has been described as unliveable, choked with traffic and
smog. It’s
one of the worst capital cities in the world for air pollution and it's also
sinking. By 2050 it’s estimated around a quarter of the city will be
submerged. In
2019, President Joko Widodo embarked on a radical plan to move the mega city.
The site he chose was more than a thousand kilometres away, deep in the
jungle of Borneo. This
week on Foreign Correspondent, Indonesia correspondent Bill Birtles travels
to the location of the new capital in East Kalimantan on Borneo Island. In
the middle of the jungle lies the construction site of a new city which
promises to be clean, green and sustainable. But
the utopian vision comes with a high price tag – a staggering $US45 billion. Critics
say the project is a white elephant and a waste of the country's limited
resources. Completion
of the project is now up to the new incoming president who says he’s
supporting the expensive relocation ... for now. |
|
Episode
teaser |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Jakarta -- one of
the world's great megacities, is at breaking point. Home to 30 million
people, and sinking. |
00:10 |
|
SUMO:
Everyone is worried there will be flooding again if the seawall breaks. |
00:21 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: A clogged and
polluted capital. |
00:29 |
|
ELISA: The pollution is something that you can
taste; that's how bad it is. |
00:31 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: And a president
determined to forge a bold solution before he leaves office. |
00:36 |
|
JOKO
WIDODO: So the burden of Java, the burden of Jakarta, is it's over capacity. |
00:41 |
Super:
Bill Birtles |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Now Indonesia is embarking on a radical plan to start
afresh and build a new capital city, not near Jakarta, but more than a
thousand kilometres away, deep in the jungles of Borneo. A grand plan –
promising a Utopian forest city – that's clean, green, and sustainable. |
00:48 |
|
NATASYA:
It looks like beautiful and unbelievable, and also smart for a city. |
01:12 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: But not everyone is on board. |
01:19 |
|
YUSUF:
This is a decision that has not been democratic from the beginning. We see
this as an authoritarian decision. |
01:22 |
|
ELISA: This project is a white elephant that
wastes limited resources. |
01:35 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Ten thousand labourers, like these guys, are working day
and night to get this mega project built.
But with the clock ticking down, can Indonesia really pull this off
and have a functioning capital up and running before the year is out? |
01:39 |
|
BAMBANG:
The plan going into reality is something I dream of. Inshallah we call it, we
will make it. |
01:57 |
|
Music
|
02:03 |
Title:
MOVING A MEGACITY |
|
02:06 |
Train
passes city traffic |
|
02:13 |
City
skyline. Super: |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Jakarta is one of the world's bustling cities. |
02:22 |
Jakarta
high rise, air pollution |
Each
year, new towers rise to the sky. And it's up high, where the first major
problem of this metropolis becomes obvious – the constant thick haze. Jakarta
is one of the world's worst capital cities for air pollution. |
02:27 |
City
traffic |
Car
exhaust fumes are a major factor, along with coal-fired power plants nearby. |
02:48 |
Sukisno
shows Bill water misting set-up on high-rise. |
But
there are some 'creative' methods to try to disperse it. "Okay,
water, first step, turn on the water…Into the bucket… Turn on the tap so the
water goes through… Final step, plug it in… " |
02:58 |
|
Jakarta's
government has ordered all tall buildings in the middle of the city to
install water spray machines. The mist
is supposed to improve the air quality, at least around each building that
has one. |
03:40 |
|
SUKISNO:
We run this machine daily starting at 8am. We turn it on for two hours, then
turn it off for two hours until the afternoon. |
03:55 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Maintenance man Sukisno and his team made this machine out
of parts that cost less than 300 dollars. |
04:09 |
|
Can
you see a difference do you think when you turn it on, when you look around
the building. SUKISNO: We never check on that. (laugh) |
04:18 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: So this is more about complying with the regulations
rather than actually making a concrete difference. |
04:27 |
|
SUKISNO:
Yeah, so we comply with the government to provide the water, to reduce air
pollution. That's all. |
04:35 |
High
rise, hazy air |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Despite the water spray, pollution levels regularly choke
the city. Most days, pollution levels in Jakarta hover between five to ten
times the World Health Organization's recommended standard. |
04:42 |
Elisa
on high-rise balcony |
ELISA:
Yeah, I don't know where they get that idea from actually, that misting
building. Again, I think it's typical Indonesia Government, they just only
work on the symptoms but never really work on the source of the
problem. |
04:59 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Elisa Sutanudjaja is a former architect and urban
activist. |
05:12 |
|
ELISA:
The pollution is something that you can taste , that's how bad it is. Usually
it's just something you see. But this is now in Jakarta, something you can
taste as well. |
05:16 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: She got so fed up with the dirty air, she successfully
sued the national government to change their air quality standard. |
05:28 |
|
ELISA:
WHO air quality standard is 15, for example, but Indonesia standard is
65. |
05:38 |
Sun
shines through pollution haze |
Music
|
05:44 |
Bill
and Elisa on balcony overlooking city |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Elisa is clear eyed on the city's problems, but
doesn't think they justify moving the capital. |
05:51 |
|
ELISA:
You still have to fix the problem. It doesn't mean you can run away from this
problem. |
05:58 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Is that the feeling, that some people have, that the new
capital is kind of giving up on Jakarta and running away. |
06:01 |
|
ELISA:
Yeah. Probably the government don't really want to solve the problem. So just
run away from it. |
06:09 |
Drone shots over city |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: When it comes to problems, Jakarta has many. And on ground
level, there's one issue everyone talks about every day. |
06:17 |
Traffic
congestion |
Music
|
06:29 |
Bill
on back of motorbike |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Traffic congestion like this costs the Indonesian economy
an estimated 6 billion dollars a year. |
06:38 |
Bill
to camera |
I'm
on my way now to North Jakarta, which is about 20 kilometres away, but in a
car in this traffic it could take hours. I'm just hoping on one of these bikes
it will be a little bit quicker. |
06:45 |
Bill
visits Sumo |
It's
a slow crawl to the northern edge of Jakarta, but I've arrived. |
07:07 |
|
Hey
Sumo, namanya Bill, nice to meet you, very nice to meet you. This is where
you work? |
07:13 |
|
I've
come to meet motorbike repairman Sumo. He fixes scooters out the front of
this shop and has lived here for his entire life. |
07:22 |
Sumo
and Bill walk to house, down alleyway |
Can
we go there? SUMO:
Yes we can. I'll take you to my house. |
07:31 |
|
Inside
this alley, my house is there. BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: In here? SUMO
: Yes, we go inside. BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Bit tight down there? SUMO:
Yes, the alley is very tight. |
07:39 |
|
Music
|
07:46 |
Flooded
alleyways |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: It's an area battling one of the biggest problems facing
this megacity. Jakarta is sinking. By 2050 it's estimated around a quarter of
the city will be submerged. |
07:51 |
Into
Sumo's home |
Sumo
lives in a humid room hidden by the alleyways, with his wife and 7-month-old
son. |
08:09 |
Sumo
interview |
SUMO:
Living here, if you say it's hard, it's hard. It's not only me, everyone has
a hard life living here. For the family the place is cramped. If there's no
electricity, there's no water. |
08:20 |
Sumo
and wife feed baby |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Less than half of Jakarta's population has access to piped
water, with many residents forced to buy water in. Others pump ground water |
08:40 |
Flooded
alleyways |
from
wells causing the ground to sink – in some places up to ten centimetres a
year. Along with rising sea levels, Jakarta has been hit by two devastating
tidal floods in the past decade. |
08:50 |
Archival.
Tidal flood footage |
|
09:09 |
|
SUMO: When it flooded it caused so much suffering
for everyone. I feel sorry for the people, their houses were submerged
because the water was so high. It was
a mess inside the house and outside the house. And everyone evacuated to the
second floor, because the flood was extreme. Really extreme! |
09:15 |
Sumo
and Bill at seawall |
|
09:50 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: To prevent future flooding government authorities have
built a giant seawall… Let's have a look yeah? SUMO:
Yeah. |
05:55 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: But Sumo says he's not confident it will be enough to stop
the water the next time. |
10:03 |
|
SUMO:
Yeah, this is the seawall, it was built a few years ago. It was repaired but
it got hit by the waves again, causing damage, including holes. |
10:10 |
Drone
shot over seawall |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: No one knows when the next big floods will come. Sumo just
tries to put it all out of his mind. |
10:22 |
Sumo
with racing pigeons |
SUMO: I feel like I can't leave here because it's
my birthplace. |
10:38 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: He is one of the millions of people who won't be moving to
the new capital city. |
10:48 |
Sumo
sits on seawall |
SUMO: What's important is Jakarta is not
forgotten, and all the people are not forgotten. |
10:56 |
Archival.
Swearing in of President Widodo |
PRESIDENT
JOKO WIDODO: "I will fulfil the obligations of President of
Indonesia." BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: President Joko Widodo isn't the first Indonesian leader to
propose moving the capital. |
11:12 |
Archival.
Sukarno, Suharto |
The
nation's post-colonial leader Sukarno had the idea originally, followed by
others, including military dictator Suharto.
|
11:24 |
Widodo
addresses parliament |
But
in 2019 President Joko Widodo resurrected the audacious plan, to ease the
burden on Jakarta and boost the national economy beyond Java. |
11:24 |
|
PRESIDENT
JOKO WIDODO: "This is for the vision of advanced Indonesia. Indonesia
that lives forever." |
11:46 |
Map
of Indonesia showing site of new capital |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: The new capital would be built more than a thousand
kilometres away in East Kalimantan on Borneo Island. |
11:53 |
Promotional
video for new capital |
And
this is the grand vision. Called Ibu Kota Nusantara, or IKN for short, the
Government promises the new city will be smart, convenient and powered by
renewable energy. A so called 'forest city' where, by 2045, nearly 2 million
people will live. |
12:04 |
Bill
flies to Balikpapan |
With
the deadline for the first goal of the project just 6 months away, and with
Joko Widodo's term as President ending shortly, I want to find out how the
new capital is progressing. So I'm leaving the smog of Jakarta. It's
currently not an easy journey to reach the location of the new capital. It's
a two hour flight to the port city of Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, |
12:31 |
Driving
through jungle to city site |
and
then another two hours' drive through the jungle, where it's not the traffic
holding us up. wing down the man in charge. |
13:05 |
Bill
to camera in car |
This
is actually the first time I've been to this part of Indonesia, and it's
quite amazing. The jungle is just so thick and lush. Our car even got stopped
by a group of monkeys. It just feels so, so different to Jakarta. |
13:15 |
Construction
site |
Soon
the jungle gives way to the dusty rattle of trucks. A frenzy of activity, as
ten thousand workers toil under the tropical sun to carve a city out of the
hills. |
13:34 |
Presidential
visit to construction sites for ground-breaking |
The
work made all the more urgent by the imminent arrival of the president
himself for a three day visit. |
13:52 |
|
He's
come for a whirlwind series of ground-breaking ceremonies: a new mall, an
international school. |
14:08 |
Bill
to camera on roadside/Presidential cavalcade passes |
The
President has gone from one ground-breaking to another ground-breaking ceremony.
He's keeping a hectic schedule because he wants to stress his project is on
track. His entourage brings Jakarta-style congestion to the construction
site. But there's no slowing down the man in charge. |
14:27 |
President
speech re bank at ground breaking ceremony |
PRESIDENT
WIDODO: "So this central bank being built in IKN can increase the faith
of the people, the business sector and
investors." |
15:01 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: It's a message of much needed assurance; this event is all
about shoring up confidence. With a hefty 45 billion dollar price tag, the
government desperately needs private investors, especially from overseas. And
despite a law forcing future governments to continue building, the upcoming
change of leader is creating uncertainty. So far, no foreign investors have
signed up. |
15:17 |
|
PRESIDENT
JOKO WIDODO: "This ground breaking proves the earnestness of our
commitment, and that we're ready to build IKN into a world class
capital." |
15:50 |
Bambang
Susantono at ground breaking events |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: It might be the President's pet project, but it's his
right hand man who has the massive job of making it happen. Bambang Susantono
has been put in charge of the New Capital Authority, the powerful body that
answers directly to the President. |
16:06 |
|
At
each ground-breaking event, I try to get a word with him, but he's a hard man
to catch. Instead, 'the face' of the New Capital is my tour guide. |
16:21 |
Natasya
wearing pageant sash |
Music
|
16:39 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: After winning Miss East Kalimantan, Natasya Priyanka is
now helping sell Indonesia's new capital to the next generation. |
16:46 |
Natasya
with Bill in car |
Tell
me about Miss East Kalimantan. NATASYA: This is Puteri Indonesia. It's kind of like
they are looking for a woman leader, the woman who's going to change and also
be the voice of hope for other women, and also for the people in East
Kalimantan. |
16:55 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Natasya is a passionate advocate of the Nusantara dream,
but it wasn't always that way. |
17:10 |
|
So
when you first heard about it, you were a bit worried, were you? NATASYA: Yeah, I bit worried. When someone asked me
about what do you think about any capital city they're going to move to
Kalimantan, I was like, oh my God, no. No way, because it's going to be
destroy our forest, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But when I joined this and
I learned more, I learned a lot about this new capital city. I was just like,
no, it's not destroying, but we rebuild. |
17:18 |
Natasya
poses for tourists |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Wherever she goes, tourists on a nationalistic pilgrimage
to Indonesia's new capital want her photo. A team follows her around, but as
the rain sets in, she has plenty more to show me. |
17:46 |
Natasya
with Bill in car touring construction |
NATASYA: At first, I was really amazed about how big
it is and the construction is really fast. The grow is really fast. Last week
you didn't see anything here, and then next month you see something. BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Yeah. The scale of it is amazing. |
18:08 |
|
NATASYA: Yeah. The new capital city, you're going to
see, this is not too good to be true, but it's going to be true and it's
going to be fantastic. BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: When they say too good to be true, what do they mean? |
18:23 |
|
NATASYA: I guess maybe they think this is so, it is
the vision that a long fishing journey and we have to done this just for
until 2045. Maybe they're not ready yet. BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: They feel like it might be too hard to pull this off? NATASYA: Yeah, yeah. |
18:33 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: What do you think? NATASYA: It's not hard when we come together hand in
hand and support this new capacity with the things that we can do. Maybe the
small things can make a bigger things. |
18:50 |
Muddy
construction site. Car skidding |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: She's taking me to see the core government area where
civil servants are supposed to work later this year. But, we're struggling to get there. And
have to change to a different car… |
19:02 |
Bill
helps Natasya out of car over mud to different car |
I'm
worried about your shoes. NATASYA: It's okay. BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Okay, hopefully this four wheel drive can get us through
this place safely. NATASYA: Yeah, be careful. |
19:22 |
Four
wheel drive ploughs on through mud |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: This is wild…With a four-wheel drive, we push on to the
vantage point to finally get a glimpse of what this new capital will look
like… |
19:31 |
Bill
and Natasya on viewing platform looking at construction of Presidential
Palace |
Wow,
Look at this. NATASYA: Yes. The new capital city of Indonesia. BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: This is where it's all happening. NATASYA: Yes, that is. |
19:43 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: What are we looking at here? NATASYA: Over there is the presidential palace. BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: The presidential palace, the most important building, I
hear. |
19:52 |
|
NATASYA: Yes, the very important one, for
Independence Day in August. BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: In August, just a few months. NATASYA: Mmm, the pressure is on. |
20:01 |
Drone
shot of city site |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Not everyone is happy to see this new city emerge. |
20:14 |
Moon
in sky. Dahlia home. Dahlia preparing food |
It's
3am and just outside the boundary of the city, Yati Dahlia, a member of the
indigenous Balik community is at the beginning of a long day. |
20:23 |
|
DAHLIA:
Because my land is within the main development area of the new capital city,
I had to move. |
20:38 |
Dahlia
packs food into car, drives to stall in rest area |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Before work on the new capital began, Dahlia ran a
profitable business selling food from her family home. She's now trying to
make a living by selling food to workers and tourists at this newly built
rest area owned by the capital authority. |
20:46 |
Dahlia
with Bill |
DAHLIA: In the old business, I always had many
customers. But as you can see in here, business is very slow. |
21:06 |
Bill
and Dahlia to old house. Trucks passing |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: It's only a few minutes' drive to Dahlia's old house…
"Right next to the highway, so many trucks, banyak trucks". |
21:22 |
|
DAHLIA:
I feel really heartbroken. Looking at this house that I had to leave. That's
why I never return to see my house, because there's a lot of sadness. |
21:33 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Dahlia has been offered some compensation for her
property, but had to move her family before receiving it. |
21:55 |
|
DAHLIA: It's not even enough money to build a new
house, let alone a business. |
22:08 |
Dahlia
interview |
Their
compensation is not enough for anything.
To open the land with the excuse of building a new capital city, the
government just took it away for a very cheap price. |
22:13 |
View
from mountain to capital site |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: As the sun sets over the new capital site, we finally
catch Bambang Susantono for a chat… |
22:42 |
Bill
greets Bambang Susantono |
Thank
you for your time, you’re a busy man. BAMBANG
SUSANTONO: That's ok, it's my job, part of the job. |
22:49 |
Bambang
interview. Super: |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Pak Bambang, it's your job to make this new capital
happen. You must have a lot of pressure. Do you feel it? |
22:54 |
|
BAMBANG
SUSANTONO: Yes, I guess the pressure is there because it's going to be a
challenge for anybody who is taking this job, because we're going to develop
not only a city, but a capital city and not only a capital city, but a
sustainable forest city with all the principle of green, smart, inclusive,
resilient and sustainable. |
23:02 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Is there a risk that future governments in Indonesia might
flip on this project and cancel it? |
23:24 |
|
BAMBANG
SUSANTONO: It'll be very difficult to change the course. Of course for that.
I'm not saying that it's impossible, but it's very difficult for them. |
23:32 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: But are you worried that costs are going to blow out and
that the Indonesian taxpayer will end up footing much of the bill? |
23:42 |
|
BAMBANG
SUSANTONO: I hope that at the end of
the day we are going to find some creative financing. We need it from the
state budget because we needed to jump up and also to create the confidence
of the private sector and to create some comfort for the investors to come,
because they must see that the government itself is committed, right? |
23:49 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: You don't lose any sleep over meeting these deadlines? BAMBANG
SUSANTONO: Of course I lose some sleep
sometimes. I dream always about my work here, but that's part of the life and
that's part of my job. |
24:10 |
Bambang
looks over new capital site |
Music
|
24:22 |
Jakarta
smog, traffic GVs |
|
24:32 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Back in Jakarta and back to the smog and traffic. |
24:35 |
Bill
walks with Yusuf |
Economist
Yusuf Wibisono has been watching the rollout of the new capital closely. He
says Indonesia can't afford the project and it won't attract investors. |
24:41 |
Yusuf
Wibisono interview |
YUSUF:
There's a big chance the next government will re-evaluate the development of
IKN, the new capital city. Even though right now the President has a
political promise for the continued development of IKN, I believe at some
point, they'll reach a momentum and a political courage to re-evaluate
IKN. |
24:52 |
New
capital construction works |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: He also says it's rushed and undemocratic. YUSUF: This is a decision that has not been democratic
from the beginning. The fact that the capital city is moved without
considering the public's aspiration, without listening to expert feedback,
without looking at or comparing at other countries' experiences adequately.
This project is being rushed. |
25:25 |
Bill
with Yusuf, interview |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Is it difficult to speak out against it? |
25:58 |
|
YUSUF: To be honest, yeah. But on the other hand,
we have a moral obligation. In today's
declining democratic environment, it becomes difficult to criticise the
government openly. |
26:01 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Will this project end up being a white elephant? |
26:22 |
|
YUSUF: I have a projection that IKN will possibly
become a stalled project. A project that stops halfway. We can even probably
call it the ghost city. |
26:26 |
Drone
shots. Carless Jakarta road |
Music
|
26:44 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: It's Sunday morning in the city centre. What's normally a
congested landmark, now transformed. |
26:52 |
Car
Free Sunday run |
Music
|
27:01 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: In a city with little green space, this window for a few
hours is a chance for people to get out and about. |
27:06 |
|
HARRIS:
On normal days we see traffic jams, because everyone is busy working. Going
to and from work, there's bound to be traffic jams with motorbikes, cars, and
everything. |
27:13 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Car Free Sunday is a regular fixture for thousands of
people here. |
27:28 |
Harris
and Arif running |
And
a weekly ritual for friends Harris Mauluddin and Arif Ambar Prastiyo. But
Harris and Arif won't be doing these weekly runs for too much longer. |
27:32 |
Bill
with Harris and Arif, interview |
As
civil servants, they're in line to be moved soon to Nusantara. |
27:44 |
|
HARRIS:
I am ready. We have a contract, we
must be ready to be placed anywhere. |
27:49 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Arif, you'll be one of the first people to move to the
capital. How do you feel? |
27:57 |
|
ARIF:
When I was informed that I was the first to be moved, I was of course
nervous. Anxious, what about my family? What about my children's education?
What sort of health facilities would there be? Because we have many comforts here in
Jakarta. Jakarta represents what a
city in Indonesia should be. |
28:02 |
People
running |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: But both agree Jakarta is over-burdened, and that a new
capital will help ease some of the city's pressures. |
28:21 |
|
HARRIS: It will improve things a little. The total
number of civil servants in the capital is around 8 to 12 per cent of
Jakarta's population. |
28:32 |
Jakarta
recreation GVs |
Music
|
28:45 |
|
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: Whether Indonesia will complete its grand design is yet to
be seen. 2045 is a long time away. |
28:57 |
Election
posters |
A
change of government is imminent. Nothing's guaranteed. |
29:09 |
Jakarta
life, GVs |
Music
|
29:14 |
Harris
and Arif running |
BILL
BIRTLES, Reporter: As far as Harris is concerned, this historic move to a new
faraway capital is happening, but there's no doubt which city will remain
home. |
29:22 |
|
HARRIS:
In the future when I have to move, I just have to enjoy it. Carrying out my
duty. I will follow the rules, and stay there until the end of my
appointment. After that I'll go back
to Jakarta and reunite with my family. Spend my retirement days in Jakarta. |
29:33 |
Credits
[see below] |
Music |
29:54 |
Outpoint |
|
|