Countries these days (some of them) build shiny, new capitals for several reasons. Maybe the old one has grown so congested, polluted, or waterlogged that getting from A to B feels like sitting an MIT Engineering entrance test. Perhaps – and we don’t say this out loud – it simply doesn’t work; the city that is.
The other reason for packing up everything and moving it all to an inhospitable faraway place by caravanserai is that the political class, which often travels abroad – and not by camel train anymore – has become quietly ashamed of their capital.
The political classes of today dreams of destinations that call to mind classic science fiction. Think Naypyidaw in Myanmar, or Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan – just the names are redolent of Asimov in his prime.
Indonesia has been aiming to achieve both aspirational cities at once – but has since run out of money to finish the job.
Nusantara, the $32 billion new capital that will one day emerge from the steamy jungles of East Kalimantan, is the most visible expression of a country that has decided it can out-build its neighbors even while its currency is doing a flop-of-the-century act. Much of the gasp-eliciting work in the new capital has been done; for example, the Garuda Palace, which is topped with swooping golden eagle wings.
