Tony Blair: Indonesia’s New Capital City Will Be A Special Place

Tony Blair delivers press statement after meeting President Jokowi at Merdeka Palace, Friday (28/2).

Indonesia’s capital relocation project is special project since it will adopt clean and green concept, Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said.

Blair also said is confident Indonesia’s new capital city will be a special place, adding that the capital relocation plan is an outstanding vision for Indonesia as well as an inspiration for the whole world.

“I think the project is enormously exciting. It’s going to be a project that doesn’t just mean creating a new capital city, but a capital city that is going to be very special in the way that it’s developed,” Blair said after a meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Friday (28/2).

“The capital relocation project will not only focus on environment, will also support economic development,” he added.

For the record, Blair has been appointed to join the steering committee for the new capital city development project, alongside SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan.

What would make the new city special, Blair added, was that it would be built by not only prioritizing environmental considerations, but also Indonesia’s economic growth and development.

“The President’s vision for this capital city is one in which the city itself is going to be attractive. It’s going to be a place where people want to come, live and to work, [and] also a capital city that is able to offer a whole new dimension to the Indonesian economy,” he said.

Blair also said that he found the idea of the new capital very interesting, thus he is willing to take part in the project. The new capital, he added, will be a place for people to live in and to work that will offer a new dimension to the Indonesian economy.

“The city will adopt the best technology with a sustainable environment. I was asked to bring the best people in those aspects,” Tony said, adding that many experts will undoubtedly join the project as it will bring a breakthrough to the society.

In the meantime, Masayoshi Son, a Korean-Japanese entrepreneur who join the new capital project also shared the same sentiment.

“The new capital will be the first country in the 21st century which will fully adopt new technology such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and others,” he said, adding that the new capital will also have lots of green spaces where people can rest.

“The new capital is expected to raise the happiness of its people,” Masayoshi added.

In terms of investment, Masayoshi explained that his team will calculate the estimated cost needed, including the city design, the approximate population, and others.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan pointed out that the meeting almost delivered the final result.

“President Jokowi gave time limit of three weeks to discuss the issue. So far there are three consultants to join the project,” Luhut said, adding that all those consultants will work their best to formulate the best option for the new capital.

President Jokowi in August last year announced that two regencies in East Kalimantan are to be the site of Indonesia’s new capital city. The new capital will be built in part of North Penajam Paser regency and part of Kutai Kertanegara regency in East Kalimantan province. The new capital is to be designed with the latest technology and an environmentally friendly concept. (HIM/EN)

Translated by: Estu Widyamurti
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas