Indonesia's not-so-capital idea

IT'S official. With the Indonesian House of National Representatives having passed legislation for moving the nation's capital to an area in East Kalimantan that will be named Nusantara, Indonesia is slated to become the first country in the 21st century to relocate its place of government.

Supporters of the project are saying a new capital is needed because Jakarta has become a dysfunctional megalopolis. There is some truth to this: Until the 1990s Jakarta had a certain charm with its Dutch colonial architecture and the feel of being one big friendly village, but now it has transformed itself into one of the less attractive cities to live in Asia. Moving the capital, they say, will relieve Jakarta of overcrowding, eventually making it into a more livable city.

The fact that Jakarta is not an ideal place to live, however, does not necessarily mean the capital should be moved to a distant place such as East Kalimantan. Getting the location wrong can spell failure, and while some countries have successfully moved their capitals, others have ended being an expensive mistake.