Jakarta to Rename Toll Roads After Foreign Leaders Who Compliment Leadership
Jakarta unveils 'Donald J. Trump Expressway' after the U.S. president complimented Indonesia leadership at the UN General Assembly.
JAKARTA — Indonesia has announced the renaming of major toll roads after foreign leaders who have publicly complimented leadership.
The pilot project, known formally as the National Gratitude Infrastructure Initiative (NGII), was unveiled following a brief but enthusiastic “great job” remark from former U.S. President Donald J. Trump during last week’s UN General Assembly in New York.
As a result, the Jalan Tol Semanggi–Istana Negara segment will now be renamed The Donald J. Trump Expressway, complete with a gold-plated welcome arch, a commemorative statue wearing a red tie, and a voice-activated toll gate that responds to the phrase, “Make Nusantara Great Again.”
“This is not just a road,” explained Ret. Gen. Agus Sudirman. “It is a bridge of mutual respect, paved with international admiration and reinforced with unsolicited praise.”
Officials confirmed that other global leaders who have demonstrated even the faintest diplomatic warmth may soon receive their own commemorative roadways.
The following routes are reportedly under review:
The Vladimir Putin Peace Parkway, proposed to span the Ciliwung River. Designed to appear structurally sound but not open to public scrutiny.
The Kim Jong-Un Inner Ring, a closed-loop toll system that only elites may enter and which plays patriotic marching music at every exit.
The Xi Jinping Overpass: A heavily guarded flyover that leads to a “strategic partnership zone” and only allows traffic in one direction.
A leaked internal memo suggests that even a mildly complimentary email or a polite nod at an ASEAN meeting could qualify a leader for future infrastructure branding.
“All we ask is a ‘Nice speech, Pak,’ and we’ll build a tunnel in your name,” the memo read.
The plan is not without critics. Opposition MPs have raised concerns that tying infrastructure naming rights to praise could encourage flattery-based foreign policy and compromise Indonesia’s diplomatic independence.
But ministerial spokesperson, Gen. (Ret.) Sutarjo H. Wahyudi, disagrees.
“The world is watching. And if they say nice things, we pave in their honor. It’s called soft power.”
The reaction from the public has been varied, ranging from mild amusement to full-blown existential confusion.
“Is it satire? Is it real? I don’t know anymore,” said Rizki Hartono, a Jakarta-based software engineer who regularly commutes along the soon-to-be Trump Expressway.
Local toll booth operators, for their part, have been instructed to greet drivers with the phrase, “Welcome to the Expressway of Exceptional Leadership,” though several were caught laughing mid-sentence during pilot testing. One operator asked if they would get hazard pay for repeating the phrase during rush hour.
Early reactions among expats have been mixed. One Australian entrepreneur called the move “completely surreal,” before admitting that it “might actually reduce congestion, since no one wants to drive on a road named after Trump unless they’re emotionally prepared for the experience.”
Meanwhile, traffic police are being trained in how to enforce newly introduced regulations, such as the “Compliment Verification Checkpoint,” where drivers will be asked if they’ve publicly praised the president within the last 18 months.
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