• Issue
  • Jan 01, 2023

Jakarta: Decentralized Dilemma

The Ismail Marzuki Park Plaza in Jakarta with a mural depicting the late painter Raden Saleh. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

For the last five years Jakarta has been undergoing a major transition. It is undeniable that the megapolis is an important cultural center in Indonesia and has made a significant upgrade in its art infrastructure. However, despite the spirit of decentralization that has been propagated since the 1998 Reformasi and the planned relocation in 2024 of the political capital to Nusantara, a newly developing city in East Kalimantan on Borneo, Jakarta, retains its position as the country’s nucleus and will uphold its cultural privileges in the coming years.