Introductory Remarks of President Joko Widodo at the Limited Cabinet Meeting on Follow-up Plan to Move Capital City, 29 April 2019 at the Presidential Office, Jakarta
Unofficial English Translation
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Good Afternoon,
May peace and prosperity be upon us all,
Honorable Vice President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This afternoon, we will discuss the plan to move our capital city. Before I invite the Minister of National Development Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) to deliver the results of the study regarding the plan, I would like to highlight a number of things.
First, the plan to move the capital city can be traced back to the administration of President Soekarno and the administrations of the next Presidents. The plan comes and goes because it has never been decided and implemented in a well-planned manner.
Second, in discussing the plan, we should pay attention not only to the short-term and narrow interests, but also to the greater interests of the nation and the state, and our long-term interests as a great country in facing global competition. We agree that to become a developed country, the first question that must be answered is whether in the future DKI Jakarta as the capital city of the country can bear two burdens at once, namely as the center of Government and public services and as the center of the economy. Some countries have anticipated the development of their country in the future by moving the center of their Government. I think there are a lot of examples, including Malaysia, South Korea, Brazil, Kazakhstan and others. So once again, we should have a visionary outlook for the progress of this country.
Third, moving the capital city requires careful and detailed preparation, both in terms of the right location, taking into account the geopolitical and geostrategic aspects, the supporting infrastructure, and also the matter of financing. But I believe that, God willing, if we prepare well from the start, we will be able to realize our plan.
I think that is my introductory remarks for today. I invite the Minister to present the results of the study.(PR Division of Cabinet Secretariat)(RI/AW/YM/Naster)