Minister Points to Ambiguity over New Capital City's Location
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May 1, 2019 | 11:33 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono has drawn attention to the ambiguity over the location of the new capital city in place of Jakarta.
"I am unaware where the location is," the minister clarified here on Tuesday during a speech at the 2019 Indonesia Construction Conference.
The government organized the first cabinet meeting on Monday for holding discussions on the plan to shift the capital city.
A huge plan should be in place for moving the capital city, he remarked.
The government favors the plan on moving the capital city outside Java Island based on various grounds.
"At the limited (cabinet) meeting, the president (took the decision) on moving the capital city to outside Java," National Development Planning Minister/Head of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) Bambang Brodjonegoro remarked after the meeting at the Presidential office in Jakarta on Monday.
Read also: Gov't: New Capital City Not Designed as Jakarta
Brodjonegoro noted that the Bappenas put forth three options on relocation of the capital city, with the first being to not change the capital city of Jakarta though relocating the government offices around the Presidential Palace and the National Monument (Monas) areas.
The second option was relocating the capital city to regions in proximity to Jakarta, such as Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, or Bekasi, while the third alternative was moving it outside Java Island.
"The point is if it remains in Java Island, moreover, near Jakarta, it will not lessen the burden on Java Island and also not drive Indonesia-centric development, but rather solely strengthen Java Island," he explained.
Some 40 thousand hectares along with Rp466 trillion, or some US$33 billion, are needed for a new capital city outside Java.
This decision will also entail the migration of some 1.5 million people constituting civil servants of different ministries and state institutions, legislative and judiciary officers, as well as military and police officers, among others.
ANTARA
