Indonesia (MNN) — The $32 billion project to relocate Indonesia’s capital is facing major setbacks. President Joko Widodo decided in 2019 to move the capital from crowded Jakarta to the largely forested area of Nusantara on the island of Borneo, more than 1,200 km (750 miles) away.
Bruce Allen with IGF said of Jakarta: “It flows eight to ten inches a year. The city is overpopulated. It was designed to accommodate only a few million people. It has 10 million (inhabitants) and 30 million in the surrounding area. Traffic is a major problem, in terms of pollution, waste and water.
However, two of the heads of the investment project recently resigned and President Widodo is facing pressure over his legacy plan from hesitant investors.
Although the first phase of the new city is only 80% complete, President Widodo has announced that he will begin work next month from an office in Nusantara once access to water is available.
The aim is for the new capital to be officially opened in August, on the 79th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence.
“(President Widodo) would really like to have this project completed before he leaves office towards the end of this year. That’s why he’s pushing for this,” Allen says. “But: ‘Is it really going to be ready?’ is the question.”
FMI Church Planters in Indonesia. (Photo courtesy of IMF)
As construction continues, God has already established His Church for His ministry in Nusantara.
Allen says: “FMI has supported church planters in Borneo for over a decade. But once it was announced that this new town was going to be developed, our leadership team for partnerships on the island said that we needed to start church planting in Nusantara now so that by the time this Influx of civil servants from all these different islands are coming to be part of the government in Nusantara, there are Christian churches waiting for them.
An FMI partner church in Borneo already has 30 congregation members meeting and praying in a house.
“They’re also looking at building a church site,” Allen says. “They have all the permits. But as you can imagine, with all the building materials purchased for the government project, how expensive it is for this congregation to save their bid funds to purchase the building materials.
“The construction costs for materials (to build the church) are about $15,000. While that doesn’t seem like much for a building to us here in North America, it adds up to a substantial amount of money in Indonesia.
Do you want to support FMI church planters in Indonesia? Click here to donate on the FMI website.
Next, pray for FMI church planters in Indonesia – especially those preparing for ministry in Nusantara. Ask God to develop their churches and establish a widespread gospel witness for this young city.
Header photo of a busy street in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo provided by Adrian Pranata/Unsplash)
