Perpindahan Ibu Kota Jakarta Ke Kalimantan Timur Sebagai Idea Pembangunan Nusantara: Satu Wacana Keselamatan (The Relocation of Jakarta’s Capital to East Kalimantan as a Nusantara Development Idealism: A Security Discourse)

The relocation of Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara (IKN) in East Kalimantan presents a compelling intellectual puzzle, raising significant implications. A primary concern revolves around the impact on neighbouring Malaysia’s border security and economic development, particularly Sabah and Sarawak. Considering the longue durée perspective, the historical relationship between Malaysian and Indonesian socio-infrastructural ties has been robust, often interwoven with narratives of Nusantara civilisation within global leadership. However, research examining the influence of Indonesia’s governmental shift on Malaysian perceptions of border security and threats, mainly through a human security lens, remains limited. This study, therefore, argues that the IKN relocation reflects the Indonesian government’s developmental idealism, framed within a discourse of security. Accordingly, border security and development in Sabah and Sarawak are analysed through the prism of human security. Methodology encompasses primary and secondary sources, accessed through print and digital media and fieldwork observation. This approach yielded several key findings, including the expectation that the capital relocation will significantly impact income distribution, employment, regional development potential, environmental sustainability, border security, and human security. Furthermore, IKN can be interpreted as a governmental strategy to address Jakarta’s numerous constraints. The selection of East Kalimantan is also strongly influenced by the government’s developmental idealism regarding Nusantara, leveraging its strategic geographical position to promote multifaceted developmental partnerships oriented towards long-term national identity. Nevertheless, concerns remain regarding transnational crime, including human and goods trafficking and developmental imbalances. The synthesis recommends a critical enhancement of Malaysian Indonesian partnerships to mitigate negative implications while fostering a shared vision for the capital’s relocation.