PDIP Urges Immediate Occupation of IKN to Prevent Project Abandonment
Komarudin Watubun, a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) faction, has highlighted the potential for infrastructure projects and the core government centre in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) to become abandoned. He argued that state officials should begin operating from IKN immediately, even before the entirety of the construction is complete.
He noted reports regarding plans for several ministers to relocate their offices to the IKN area, describing the move as a positive step to ensure the development project provides tangible benefits. The member of Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR) also suggested that Vice President Gibran Rakabulating Raka should begin working from IKN. “It can be utilised now so that the site does not go to waste,” Komarudin stated when met at the DPR/MPR complex in Jakarta on Monday, 18 May 2026.
He noted that during the final period of President Joko Widodo’s second term, several state activities had already commenced in the IKN area, noting that Jokowi had even stayed at the site amidst the ongoing construction process.
Conversely, Komarudin also highlighted the financial burden of maintaining IKN. “Maintaining IKN requires significant costs. Consider the DPR building alone; it requires daily cleaning. Imagine an entire city,” said the PDIP official. He estimated that the state would need to spend billions of rupiah monthly on IKN’s maintenance, which he described as a serious issue given the current difficult national fiscal situation. “The state is spending money on an ambitious project without accounting for the negative impacts. However, all factions supported it at the time,” Komarudin added.
As of mid-May 2026, the Constitutional Court ruled that the national capital remains situated in Jakarta, a status that remains in effect until a presidential decree is issued regarding the relocation from Jakarta to IKN.
The IKN Authority (OIKN) has stated that the Nusantara development project continues. OIKN spokesperson Troy Pantouw noted that the second phase of construction has reached 22.88%, which is 0.53% ahead of schedule. This second phase is divided into three batches. Pantouw explained that the first batch, completed last year, included 12,557 metres of road construction, green open space arrangement, and the development of the core government area.
Currently, OIKN is working through the second batch, which is approximately 6.14% complete. This phase includes the construction of legislative and judicial buildings, supporting office buildings, road infrastructure for legislative and judicial zones, reservoirs, retention ponds, and water supply piping networks. The second batch is targeted for functional completion in early 2028. Simultaneously, work on the third batch is set to begin this year, focusing on residential areas for the legislative and judicial branches, as well as road networks and multi-utility tunnels to ensure connectivity. The third batch is also targeted for functional completion in 2028.