Jakarta. Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan said that he will not continue the development of Indonesia's New Capital Nusantara (IKN) if he is elected. Anies' statement comes as a response to a question from his rival Ganjar Pranowo about whether he agrees with the plan to relocate the capital from Jakarta to IKN in East Kalimantan.

"This is an example of legal products that do not involve public dialogue, so when the law is in place, anyone who criticizes it is considered opposition. While those who support it are considered pro-government. However, there has been no comprehensive discussion," said Anies during the presidential debate on Tuesday.

Anies also supports resolving ongoing issues in Jakarta, such as traffic jams and population density, before deciding to relocate the capital. According to Anies, the capital relocation will not automatically solve these two problems.

Previously, Anies had criticized the IKN development project, which he argued would create new disparities. He expressed this during an open dialogue at Muhammadiyah University in Surakarta, Central Java, on November 22.

Anies argued that the government's rationale for building IKN in the forest could create new inequalities.

"If you want to equalize Indonesia, then build small cities into medium-sized ones, medium-sized cities into large ones throughout Indonesia," Anies emphasized.

Nusantara is situated in North Penajam Paser Regency, approximately 50 kilometers south of Balikpapan, the biggest city in East Kalimantan province. The future capital city is slated for inauguration on Aug. 17, 2024, coinciding with Indonesia's Independence Day.

The first presidential debate of the 2024 Presidential Election addresses themes related to governance, law, human rights (HAM), corruption eradication, democracy strengthening, public service improvement, and community harmony.

The General Election Commission (KPU) has scheduled five rounds of presidential and vice-presidential debates for the 2024 Presidential Election, taking place during the campaign period from Nov. 28, 2023, to Feb. 10, 2024.

The first and second debates are scheduled for Dec. 12 and 22, 2023, respectively, while the third and fourth debates will be held on Jan. 7 and 21, 2024. The final debate will take place on Feb. 4, 2024. All five presidential and vice-presidential debates are held in Jakarta.