STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. Fisherman Sakirang gets his catch from the waters around Balikpapan Bay, the gateway to Indonesia’s future capital city Nusantara some 70km away.
In the past, the 53-year-old would be able to haul 50kg of fish on a good day. But now, he is lucky to even get half that amount. Construction of the new capital city is moving into high gear, but concerns have already been raised about the mega project’s impact on surrounding areas.
For Mr Sakirang, his hope is that the shifting of the nation’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara will not affect his livelihood. Traditional fishermen have relied on the Balikpapan Bay for their livelihoods since the 1970s. But over the years, their catch has been affected by the growth of many industries in the area.
Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara should strengthen its air defense by adopting advanced military technologies, as the first battle it would face would likely be an air-centric one, National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) Governor Andi Widjajanto said.
Russia is ready to build a nuclear power plant in the new capital of Indonesia, Nusantara, Russian ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobyeva said. “Responding to the call of the Indonesian government, (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin is ready to build a nuclear power plant on Kalimantan. Several Indonesian government agencies have already contacted us on issues related to the technologies that Russia possesses,” Vorobyeva said.
