TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The ceremony for the 80th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence Day will take place in Jakarta, not at the new capital city of Nusantara (IKN). Hasan Nasbi, Head of the Presidential Communications Office, confirmed that State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi has already formed a committee for the event.
"The Presidential Communications Office is also included in the committee," Hasan said at his office in Jakarta on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
This announcement confirms that the state ceremony on August 17 will not be held at the IKN Garuda Palace in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan.
Several members of the House of Representatives (DPR) indicated to Tempo throughout this week that the ceremony would be held at Merdeka Palace. One source, aware of the preparations, mentioned that President Prabowo Subianto desired the ceremony to be held in Jakarta.
80th Independence Day Ceremony at IKN Canceled Amid Infrastructure Concerns
During the flag ceremony on August 17, 2024, Prabowo, then President-elect, had expressed hope for the Independence Day celebration to be held at IKN this year. "God willing, it will be here again," Prabowo said in front of the State Palace, IKN, East Kalimantan, on Saturday, August 17, 2024.
Prabowo made this statement after accompanying President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, in the 79th Independence Day celebration at IKN. That year, the flag-raising ceremony for the 79th anniversary was held exclusively at IKN, with events at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta following in a hybrid manner.
However, Deputy Minister of State Secretary Juri Ardiantoro clarified the reason why the government won't hold the 80th anniversary of Indonesian Independence Day in IKN. The government decided the ceremony would be held in Jakarta due to IKN's incomplete infrastructure.
"IKN is still in the construction process, so we are focusing on the development," Juri explained when met at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Thursday, July 17, 2025.
Juri also noted that the IKN Authority will still hold an August 17, 2025, ceremony at the IKN Garuda Palace. Regarding Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's presence at that specific ceremony, Juri could not yet confirm.
A Look Back at the Hybrid Ceremony in 2024
Last year, President Jokowi led the 79th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence Day ceremony in a hybrid format, with events in both IKN and Jakarta. Jokowi directly led the ceremony at IKN, accompanied by then President-elect Prabowo Subianto. Meanwhile, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin led the ceremony at the Jakarta Presidential Palace Complex, joined by Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
The number of participants at the 79th Independence Day ceremony in IKN, East Kalimantan, was limited to invited guests only. Approximately 1,400 guests attended the historic flag-raising event at IKN on August 17, 2024. State officials, ministers, religious and cultural figures, and employees involved in the Nusantara project were among the attendees.
Jokowi had previously explained that the hybrid format for the 79th ceremony was due to transition considerations, emphasizing that a full ceremony in IKN could be held for the 80th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence Day. This earlier expectation, however, has recently been revised.
Eka Yudha Saputra, Daniel Ahmad Fajri, and Dian Rahma Fika contributed to this article.
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