Jokowi Says HR Development Necessary Amid IKN Project

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said that human resource development would not be put aside amid the government’s ambitious infrastructure development of the new capital city or IKN in East Kalimantan.

“Infrastructure is only about physical development. What should be prioritized is human resource development, cultural preservation, maintaining the existing culture and not letting it be eroded by foreign cultures,” he said at the Nusantara Cultural Harmony Festival in North Penajam Paser Regency, East Kalimantan on Friday, Nov. 3.

He hoped that IKN would be a home for people from diverse ethnicities and cultures, both indigenous and immigrants, who could live in harmony and together maintain, preserve, and develop the nation's culture, including the culture and traditions of the people of East Kalimantan.

“We have 714 tribes in Indonesia. This means that we have strength, character, and culture that we must preserve and care for,” he remarked.

He also highlighted the need to build collective awareness of the importance of mutual respect for diversity and to make the national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which means unity in diversity, a force for building harmony, togetherness, and unity.

Aside from attending the cultural festival, President Jokowi was also scheduled to visit the Dangai Ehau Festival to be held today at ITHO Square, West Kutai.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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