Indonesian President Jokowi to start working from new capital in July

JAKARTA: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said that he will start working from the new national capital Nusantara in East Kalimantan in July this year.

"(I will relocate) in July. I will wait for the airport and the toll road to complete first," the President announced here on Thursday, reported ANTARA news agency.

On the sidelines of the commencement ceremony for the development of several buildings in the new capital's financial district, the President highlighted that, when complete, Nusantara will be reachable from the city's dedicated airport in 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, the toll road will help shorten travel time from Balikpapan - the closest major city - to Nusantara from two hours to 45 minutes, he pointed out.

"We expect that the toll road and airport facilities will make the traffic from the airport to the new capital much busier," he said on a different occasion while laying the cornerstone of state-owned Bank Negara Indonesia's (BNI's) office in Nusantara.

He further informed that Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono, will relocate to Nusantara in June, that is, earlier than him.

Regarding the development of the city's financial district, Widodo is optimistic that the opening of more bank offices in the new capital would support Nusantara's smart city concept since the banks will bring their advanced digital banking system.

"It will be consistent with the smart city concept that we are advocating. It will happen for sure, but it takes time," Widodo remarked.

He is also confident that the increasing number of investments in the new capital would accelerate Nusantara's development process, which, as per estimates, is expected to take at least a decade.

The Indonesian government is targetting to commence government activities in the new capital from Aug 17, 2024 -- on the 79th anniversary of Indonesia's independence.

-- BERNAMA

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