The push to immediately activate facilities in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) is currently under sharp scrutiny. Despite pressure for completed buildings to be occupied immediately to avoid being deemed 'wasted', the discourse on relocating civil servants (ASN) in the near future has drawn criticism from various public policy analysts.
Executive Director of the Indonesia Political Review (IPR), Iwan Setiawan, warned that mobilizing civil servants to IKN at this time risks compounding the country's fiscal burden. He emphasized that IKN operations require significant logistics, housing, and relocation costs, which could potentially undermine the government's budget efficiency policies amid global economic uncertainty driven by escalating geopolitical conflicts.
On the other hand, the political narrative surrounding Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's plan to start working from IKN is seen as a symbolic effort to ensure the continuity of the legacy project of the 7th President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. The success of IKN's operationalization is believed to be a high-stakes gamble for the political reputation of the parties involved, which is also influenced by the competitive landscape leading up to the 2029 Presidential Election.
Meanwhile, dynamics in the House of Representatives (DPR) show a different perspective. Member of Commission II of the DPR, Deddy Yevri Hanteru Sitorus, firmly urged that the built state assets be utilized immediately. According to him, leaving buildings vacant and non-functional is equivalent to wasting unproductive maintenance budgets.
Responding to this, Head of the IKN Authority Basuki Hadimuljono stated that his team is currently focusing on accelerating the construction of legislative and judicial infrastructure. Although the official target for IKN to be effective as the new political capital is 2028 in accordance with Presidential Regulation No. 79/2025, the readiness of facilities for the Vice President continues to be finalized as an initial step in the government transition in Nusantara.
