TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, expressed his support for Indonesia’s capital city move to East Kalimantan. However, he reminded that this move is not the government’s attempt to decongest Jakarta as people have widely assumed.

“What’s clear is that moving the capital city is not because of the current traffic congestion problem. That problem must still be solved by the central government,” said Ahok to Tempo in a phone call on Tuesday, August 27.

Jokowi reportedly said that Jakarta, as a city, is carrying weight more than it can potentially handle since it has taken the role to facilitate the central government, entertainment district, and also act as an economic hub.

The capital city move is predicted to cost the government and other stakeholders up to Rp466 trillion.

The President’s message was not completely comprehended by the majority of the public since many think the move is motivated by Jakarta’s worsening problem of traffic congestion.

Moreover, Ahok argued that the capital city move to East Kalimantan from Jakarta is mainly based on reasons related to economic equality and for population dispersion. He also noted that both President Jokowi and the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) have based the decision on many variables other than congestion.

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH