State funding for the project has plunged, while construction has slowed and few civil servants have been eager to move away from Jakarta
I
ndonesia’s utopian new capital Nusantara seems to appear out of nowhere. Deep in the forest, a multilane highway abruptly opens up through the trees, leading to a palace topped by a winged eagle that glows under the equatorial sun.
But along the rows of futuristic new buildings, Nusantara’s boulevards are largely empty save for a few gardeners and curious tourists.
Three years since former president Joko Widodo launched the ambitious new capital, meant to replace polluted, congested and sinking Jakarta, some fear it is in danger of becoming a glorified ghost town.
