VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Four high-ranking officials – Governor of West Sulawesi, Governor of South Kalimantan, Governor of Central Kalimantan and a representative from East Kalimantan – have conveyed the readiness of their respective regions to offer a location for Indonesian new capital.

Governor of West Sulawesi Andi Ali Baal Masdar said that his province offers many advantages in terms of land availability. “That includes the required supporting facilities such as water availability, disaster free area, and so on, ” Andi said in a discussion held by the Office of the Presidential Staff (KSP) in Jakarta, Monday (6/5).

In the meantime, Governor of South Kalimantan Sahbirin Noor also conveyed the readiness of his region to be the new capital. According to him, the province has also prepared land needed as the location of a new capital. “If the capital was located in South Kalimantan, the Meratus Mountains and the beach will dominate the landscape,” Sahbirin said.

Meanwhile, Governor of Central Kalimantan Sugianto Sabran explained that his region has all the conditions requested by the Central Government as a potential new capital. “We have prepared three districts in Central Kalimantan that meet the criteria as the new capital. Moreover, Bung Karno – Indonesia’s first president – once envisioned that Indonesia will move its capital to Central Kalimantan,” said Sugianto.

High-rank official from East Kalimantan also shared his own perspective that the province, which is best known for its beautiful beaches along its east coast, will best represent Indonesia as a maritime country. The city has also prepared itself as a leading candidate as the capital city, he added.

The Governors also said that they are ready to support President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision to build a new capital because they believe the decision is definitely the best one.

For the record, President Jokowi has decided to push ahead with his plan to move the capital from Jakarta and to build a new center of government outside Java, citing the need to ensure more equitable development and address overpopulation in Java. The relocation of Indonesia’s capital itself has actually been discussed since the era of President Sukarno, who had proposed Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan as the new capital city. (EN/Humas KSP/ES)