JAKARTA (ANN/JAKARTA POST) – The Indonesian government is facing backlash over what critics describe as extravagant spending for this year’s Independence Day celebrations in Jakarta and Nusantara, the country’s future capital under construction in East Kalimantan. The increased budget has ignited public discontent, with many questioning the administration’s priorities amid economic difficulties. Chico Hakim, spokesperson for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), criticized the expanded budget as “wasteful” and insensitive given the widespread financial struggles, including mass layoffs, rising prices of essentials, and escalating education costs.
“It’s a display of President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo’s insensitivity as his term concludes. The public is grappling with significant financial hardships,” Chico said on Saturday, as reported by Media Indonesia. Lawmaker Guspardi Gaus of the National Mandate Party (PAN) shared similar concerns, calling for transparency regarding the expenditures for the celebrations in Nusantara.
“The public may perceive the government as detached from their economic struggles, particularly with reports of around 1,000 luxury cars and numerous hotel rooms being rented for the celebrations in Nusantara,” Guspardi, a member of the House of Representatives Commission II, said on Sunday, according to CNBC Indonesia. President Jokowi defended the budget increase, explaining that the celebrations this year would span .