VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 The relocation of the national capital to East Kalimantan is one of the government's strategies for realizing Indonesia's Vision 2045, Minister of National Development Planning (PPN), Suharso Monoarfa, has said.

Vision 2045 reflects Indonesia's aspiration to become a high-income country and join the world's top five economic powers, Monoarfa, who is also the head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), stated at the plenary meeting of the House of Representatives here on Tuesday.

"The relocation will be carried out to realize Indonesia's Vision 2045, including more inclusive and equitable economic growth through accelerating development in the eastern region," he added.

Monoarfa said the selection of East Kalimantan as the new national capital was based on several considerations, such as the superiority of the region.

Its selection is also in accordance with the vision of the emergence of a new economic center of gravity in the center of the archipelago, he explained.

Based on its location, the new national capital will be very strategic as it is in the middle of Indonesian territory, flanked by the archipelagic sea route in the Makassar Strait, which also acts as a sea route for national and regional parks, the minister elaborated.

The location also has relatively complete infrastructure, such as airports, ports, and better roads as well as the availability of other infrastructures, such as adequate networks, energy, and drinking water, he noted.

The new national capital is also close to two supporting cities that have developed, namely Balikpapan and Samarinda, he said. Meanwhile, the availability of land controlled by the government in the region is also highly adequate for the development of the national capital, while the risk of disaster in the region is also very minimal, he noted.

Hence, the government believes that the construction of the new national capital will target the four main pillars of Indonesia's Vision 2045, including human development and mastery of science and technology, the minister added.

The next vision is sustainable economic development, equitable development, and strengthening of national resilience, as well as good governance, Monoarfa said.

The minister said that the relocation would help realize Vision 2045, which aims for more inclusive and equitable economic growth, through accelerated development in eastern Indonesia.

It is hoped that the new national capital will boost the economy of Kalimantan and trigger the strengthening of domestic value chains throughout the eastern region, which will eventually be evenly distributed throughout the country, he added.

The development of the national capital will also place Indonesia in a more strategic position in terms of global trade routes, investment flows, and technological innovation, he informed.

The new national capital will also be a model for sustainable city development, driven by the application of the latest technology, while maintaining and even restoring the surrounding environmental conditions, he said.

"Our vision to create a world city for all not only describes the people who will live in the capital in the future, but also the environmental conditions that will also be restored and maintained," he explained.  (Antaranews)