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East Kalimantan considers its capital potential

Jokowi's decision to relocate Indonesia's admin centre excites but also prompts fears

The Straits Times visits East Kalimantan, picked by President Joko Widodo as the location for Indonesia's new capital, to find out what's there and speak to residents of the province.
Farmer Dahlan Musrifan, 68, outside his house in Semoi village. He does not relish the idea of living in a tall building, and says he "just wants a simple life, and to have neighbours who are like family". Left: East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor is
Boats lined up in Samarinda Seberang with the Mahakam Bridge in the background. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Farmer Dahlan Musrifan, 68, outside his house in Semoi village. He does not relish the idea of living in a tall building, and says he "just wants a simple life, and to have neighbours who are like family". Left: East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor is
Kaltim Kariangau container terminal in Balikpapan, among East Kalimantan’s largest cities, has world-standard facilities to handle direct overseas shipments. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Kaltim Kariangau container terminal in Balikpapan, among East Kalimantan's largest cities, has world-standard facilities to handle direct overseas shipments.
Housewife Hasnah, 36, with her coal miner husband Sila, 38, at their house in Bukit Merdeka in the Samboja district of East Kalimantan. She worries about being evicted while her husband is happy that the city is coming to his village. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Farmer Dahlan Musrifan, 68, outside his house in Semoi village. He does not relish the idea of living in a tall building, and says he "just wants a simple life, and to have neighbours who are like family". Left: East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor is
East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor is delighted by the proposed relocation and says it will help to shore up economic growth not only in the province, but the surrounding remote islands such as Sulawesi and Papua, as well as raise the profile of a relatively unknown region. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Above and below: The road to Semoi village in East Kalimantan. Many people in the province were resettled there in the late 1970s as part of a transmigration programme to reduce poverty and overpopulation in Java.
The road to Semoi village in East Kalimantan. Many people in the province were resettled there in the late 1970s as part of a transmigration programme to reduce poverty and overpopulation in Java. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Farmer Dahlan Musrifan, 68, outside his house in Semoi village. He does not relish the idea of living in a tall building, and says he "just wants a simple life, and to have neighbours who are like family". Left: East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor is
The road to Semoi village in East Kalimantan. Many people in the province were resettled there in the late 1970s as part of a transmigration programme to reduce poverty and overpopulation in Java. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Housewife Hasnah, 36, with her coal miner husband Sila, 38, at their house in Bukit Merdeka in the Samboja district of East Kalimantan. She worries about being evicted while her husband is happy that the city is coming to his village.
Farmer Dahlan Musrifan, 68, outside his house in Semoi village. He does not relish the idea of living in a tall building, and says he “just wants a simple life, and to have neighbours who are like family”. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Far left: Boats lined up in Samarinda Seberang with the Mahakam Bridge in the background.
A large advertisement for a newly built apartment project in Balikpapan which boasts the Sepinggan international airport and Semayang port. Balikpapan and Samarinda are two of the largest cities in East Kalimantan. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Arlina Arshad Regional Correspondent In East Kalimantan and Jakarta
Updated
Sep 17, 2019, 08:25 AM
Published
Sep 17, 2019, 05:00 AM
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Atop a hill wrapped in lush tropical rainforest in Indonesia's Borneo, often dubbed "the lungs of the world", pigtail macaques swing from trees and orange-beaked hornbills bellow from their perches.

Thatch-roofed village huts, nestled among palm oil plantations and dragon fruit and pineapple groves, dot the hill slopes. The air is fresh and the sea in the Makassar Strait off the east coast is calm, save for a few passing coal barges.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 17, 2019, with the headline East Kalimantan considers its capital potential. Subscribe

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MCI (P) 066/10/2023. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2024 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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