TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi summoned Golkar politician Ridwan Kamil to the State Palace, Jakarta on Tuesday, Dec. 12. The two of them discussed the progress of the state capital Nusantara or IKN in East Kalimantan.

“I was asked to review everything from the roads to the Palace,” Ridwan, who is the former Governor of West Java, said on Tuesday.

Ridwan, known as Kang Emil, said he was assigned as a curator to evaluate the green design, smart design, and futuristic design of all physical development at IKN.

After a limited meeting with the President, he revealed that the government planned to build a statue of the proclamation heroes, Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta, as the fathers of the Indonesian nation.

He also explained about the construction of the Presidential Palace at IKN which will fully reflect the Indonesian culture.

Phase I of the IKN development progress has reached 60 percent completion

The Public Works and Housing Ministry (PUPR) reported that the first phase of IKN’s basic infrastructure development reached 60 percent completion. Chairman of the IKN Infrastructure Development Task Force, Danis H. Sumadilaga, explained that the first phase of the infrastructure development was expected to finish by the end of 2024.

The IKN Authority said that the President would again lead the groundbreaking of the Nusantara projects before the Christmas and New Year holidays. The third groundbreaking of projects at IKN Nusantara would involve twelve investors with a total investment value of Rp10 trillion.

Ridwan Kamil also confirmed that President Jokowi would visit IKN next week to inaugurate the development of 10-12 infrastructure projects. He expressed optimism that the first phase of IKN development would be completed before Indonesia's 79th anniversary next year.

DANIEL A. FAJRI | ANTARA

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