The State Palace announced that Jakarta will soon relinquish its role as the Indonesian capital. This decision follows the signing of Law No. 2/Year 2024 by Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, which designates the Greater Jakarta area as a special province.
The acronym “DKI” in DKI Jakarta stands for “Daerah Istimewa Ibukota,” translating to the nation’s special capital region of Indonesia. President Jokowi signed the law last week, making it effective immediately.
According to chapter 2 of the law, “DKI Jakarta” has transitioned from the nation’s capital city to the “special province of Jakarta.”
This change signifies that Jakarta will no longer serve as the center of Indonesian administration but will remain a hub for business and a global urban center.
“As outlined in chapter 1 of the law, Jakarta now functions as the country’s business center and a global city,” stated the State Palace on Sunday, 28 April.
With the official change to “DKJ,” Jakarta now holds the status of a provincial city with special autonomy, governed by specific regulations.
However, these regulations will only take full effect once the Indonesian head of state issues a directive formalizing the relocation of the capital from Jakarta to IKN in East Kalimantan Province.
To date, no such presidential directive has been issued.
Furthermore, the Indonesian Home Ministry’s General Directorate of Civil Registration has confirmed that approximately 8.3 million Jakarta residents’ ID numbers will become inactive.
The status of residents will shift from being residents of DKI Jakarta to residents of DKJ, rendering their existing ID numbers invalid.
“This extensive process of updating all residents’ ID numbers is expected to take at least three years and will affect all 8.3 million people in DKI Jakarta,” said Teguh Setyabudi, a senior official at the Home Ministry.
President Jokowi has also announced that the 79th anniversary of Indonesian Independence will be celebrated in the new capital, IKN, in East Kalimantan.
