Goodbye, Jakarta? Indonesia's president suggests new capital

Idea of unhitching country’s administrative centre from its megacity has a long history – but experts are sceptical

Not only is the megacity of Jakarta besieged by a confluence of modern ills – including pollution, overpopulation and soul-destroying traffic – it is also one of the fastest-sinking capitals in the world.

So when Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, this week suggested making somewhere else the capital, it did not come as a shock. Indeed, the idea of relocating the country’s administrative centre is almost as old as the republic itself – it was floated by Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, in 1957 and has been brought up again by several presidents since.

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from World news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2DFdYSJ