TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The capital city of Indonesia will be moved from Jakarta to Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, in 2024. Indonesia is not the first country in the world to move capital city negara. Some countries have done it. Many have succeeded, but many have failed. The following are a number of countries that have failed to move their capital cities, which Tempo summarizes from various sources:
1. Myanmar
Myanmar decides to move the nation’s capital city from Yangon to Naypyidaw. The plan was initiated in 2001 and completed in 2005. Naypyidaw serves as an administrative city. All government functions were transferred to the city in 2006. Although all the infrastructure has been built, including connecting roads, hotels, and shopping centers, the new capital city is deserted. This failure was due to the lack of public involvement in the design, formation and relocation of the capital city.
2. Australia
Melbourne and Sydney once competed to be the capital city of Australia. To ease the rivalry between the two cities, local policy makers established Canberra as the new nation’s capital in 1913. Canberra serves as the administrative center, where the Australian Parliament and High Courts Buildings are built as well as the headquarters of all departments of the federal government and the military.
In 1996, Prime Minister John Howard publicly announced that he had chosen to move to Kirribilli House overlooking Sydney Harbour. The Australian public sees this as a kind of tacit acknowledgment of the failure to move the capital city. Even Former Prime Minister Paul Keating said the city of Canberra was one of Australia’s biggest mistakes and should be abandoned immediately.
3. Malaysia
In 1999, Malaysia decided to move its national capital to Putrajaya as an administrative city. However, the move was deemed a failure because Malaysian government employees were reluctant to move to the new nation’s capital. Although the two cities are not too far apart, they do not want to move due to family reasons. In addition, although the Prime Minister’s Office has been moved to Putrajaya, the economic center and the Parliament Building are still in Kuala Lumpur.
4. Kazakhstan
In 1997, Kazakhstan moved the nation’s capital from Almaty to Astana because the former city was already overcrowded and prone to earthquakes. Kazakhstan is claimed to be experiencing economic pressure after moving the nation’s capital to Astana. In addition, residents are also not interested in moving to the new capital city, so Astana is only filled by state officials.
5. Tanzania
Tanzania moved the nation’s capital from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma in the 1970s. However, the transfer was deemed a failure due to the slow pace of development in the new nation’s capital and Dar es Salaam was even more developed. Although the Tanzanian National Assembly has been moved to Dodoma, all foreign embassies and government offices are still in Dar es Salam.
HENDRIK KHOIRUL MUHID
Also read: Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s new capital is now a ghost town
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