Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia During Groundbreaking Ceremony of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Office Construction, North Penajam Paser Regency, East Kalimantan Province, November 2, 2023

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Good afternoon,
May peace be upon us all,

Distinguished Ministers of the Indonesia Onward Cabinet, Chairperson of Nusantara Capital Authority, Governor of East Kalimantan Province, and Regent of North Penajam Paser;
Distinguished President Director of the Employment Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) Anggoro Eko Cahyo, along with the entire Board of Directors and Commissioners,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Esteemed Guests,

We initiated the groundwork for five hotels three months ago, including four 5-star hotels and one 1-star hotel, along with four hospitals. We took this step to respond to frequent inquiries from residents and individuals considering a move to IKN. “Sir, what if my child falls ill, is there a hospital?” Yes, there are currently four hospitals in progress. “And sir, if our relatives visit IKN, are there hotels?” Yes, indeed. There are four hotels in the works, with four being 5-star and one 4-star.

“Sir, are there quality schools?” Absolutely. We recently laid the foundation stone for the Nusantara Intercultural School, a project undertaken by Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS). Thus, our children will have access to a school when moving to IKN. “Sir, I’m interested in football.” PSSI has established a training center with eight fields. That’s not enough? We already have eight existing football fields. And, today marks the groundbreaking for the construction of the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan office in IKN.

The construction [of the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan office] will further improve the range of public service facilities in IKN. Other infrastructure developments are in the works, including hospitals, schools, hotels, malls, apartments, and the Bank Indonesia office. They will also be supported by the toll road connecting Balikpapan and IKN. The journey from Balikpapan to Nusantara usually takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes, sometimes even close to 2.5 hours. However, after the improvements, it will be shortened to just 45 minutes. We also laid the first stone for the construction of Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara Airport yesterday. The Balikpapan-Nusantara toll road is expected to reduce travel time to just 45 minutes, while the trip from the airport to IKN will take approximately 18 minutes. You can choose which one you prefer.

The most important thing is that the construction of the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan office will further improve the range of public service facilities offered in the Nusantara new capital (IKN). This will provide people with more convenience when living in the new capital as they can also have social security coverage from BPJS Ketenagakerjaan.

Social security for employment is crucial as it safeguards workers from various risks, including social and economic ones since social security gets even more vital with the ongoing development projects in IKN that involve a significant workforce.

Earlier, the President Director told me “Sir, those who work in the new capital have been included as BPJS Ketenagakerjaan participants,” I believe it would be highly beneficial if, while we hope for no accidents, there is someone to protect in case they occur, and that would be BPJS Ketenagakerjaan.

That concludes my remarks.

And by saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, this afternoon I hereby inaugurate the commencement of the groundbreaking for the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Office.

I thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

(RIF/EP)