Jokowi Wants New Capital as Transformation towards Smart Economy

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo expected the new capital city to be designed as a transformation towards a smart economy country. He said the capital relocation must mark better changes in every sector.

“[It should] mark the process of transformation of national productivity, national creativity, national industries, and our national talents," said the President during a limited meeting on the capital relocation at the President's Office, Jakarta, Monday, December 16.

According to him, the new capital in East Kalimantan is expected to become a driving force of smart economy. Therefore, the design should not only have the concept of a smart metropolis.

"But this will mark that our country has made an economic transformation by the construction of education clusters, research and innovation clusters," he added.

The former Jakarta governor imagined that a world-class higher education institution would be built in the education cluster in a bid to produce quality talents. He also dreamed of a world-class research and innovation center in the research cluster.

"It is time for Indonesian talents, global talents to collaborate to create smart energy, smart health, smart food production that will create new jobs for young people and encourage our small and medium enterprises to enter and integrate into the global value chain," Jokowi said.

AHMAD FAIZ