Jokowi, Prabowo Discuss Port and Airport Locations for New Capital City

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo directly inspected the location of the starting point for the planned road access towards the new capital city in East Kalimantan Province. The access point is located at Km 14 of the Balikpapan-Samarinda Toll Road which the President passed on his way from Samarinda to Balikpapan, Tuesday, August 24, 2021.

"Because to build a new capital city, the most important thing is the infrastructure to get there first, to carry the logistics of development," said Jokowi at the location.

The President arrived at the location at around 15:33 WITA (Central Indonesian Time). Together with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono, the President discussed while looking at the map and seeing firsthand the conditions and the surrounding landscape with binoculars.

"Earlier, I and the Minister of Defense and the Minister of PUPR saw the location in detail. Earlier we discussed where the port is going to be, where the airport is going to be. If we look at the field like this it will be easier," said the President.

On that occasion, Defense Minister Prabowo told Jokowi that the location of the new national capital was a strategic location.

Prabowo assessed that the relocation of the country's capital city had been carefully prepared through various studies and considerations.

"The Minister of Public Works has also assured that this is indeed a very mature preparation," he said.

East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor said that the government and people of East Kalimantan are grateful to President Jokowi for establishing the starting point for the road leading to the location of the country's capital city. This access will shorten the distance from Balikpapan to the new capital city.

Read: Prabowo Subianto to Jokowi: We Must Have Courage to Move the Capital City

KODRAT SETIAWAN | MAUDEY K. SETYAKUSUMA (Internship)