Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Inauguration of the Astra Biz Center and the Nusantara Botanical Garden in Nusantara Capital, North Penajam Paser Regency, East Kalimantan Province, June 4, 2024

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
Good afternoon,
May prosperity be upon us all,
Shalom,
Om swastiastu,
Namo Buddhaya,
Greetings of Virtue.

Distinguished ministers, Governor of East Kalimantan, Regent of North Penajam Paser, Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces, Head and Deputy Head of Nusantara Capital (IKN) Authority who have just been appointed;

Distinguished Director of PT Astra International Tbk, Mr. Rudy, along with Chairman of the Nusantara Consortium, Mr. Sugianto Kusuma, and all entrepreneurs who are present here today;

Ladies and gentlemen and distinguished guests.

Investing in Nusantara Capital is about pursuing the future. You shouldn’t think of only the current situation, as the toll road from Balikpapan to IKN hasn’t been completed. So you have to make a detour to go to IKN. Once the Balikpapan-IKN toll road is completed, it will take only 30-40 minutes to travel from Balikpapan to Nusantara Capital, if you want to take a flight to Balikpapan. Secondly, the Nusantara Airport is not meant exclusively for VVIP, no. Instead, it is a commercial airport for everyone. It’s only 15 minutes away from the point we’re standing. I’m sure it will change your mind on Nusantara.

But if you make up your mind later, all the land will be sold out. As we now know that the price is between Rp400 thousand to Rp800 thousand. In Balikpapan, one meter already reaches Rp15 million, in Jakarta it’s Rp100 million to Rp200 million. But I have to tell you now that the price may rise tomorrow, depending on the Head of the Authority. If there are a lot of demand, if the demand is so high, consequently the price will increase. So if you want to invest, once again, you should do it now.

I want to share a story. The other day, we accompanied Mohammad Alameat, the owner of Emaar from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to visit Nusa Dua, Mandalika, and Labuan Bajo. He was then invited to Nusantara, and finally to Jakarta to meet me. What did he say to me? “President Jokowi, there is no place better, more beautiful, with hills, as beautiful as Nusantara. I have invested in many countries, but this is the best place.”

I told him, “I don’t like compliments. It is your investment that I expect.” He then stated his committment, but I don’t want to mention the figure here because it hasn’t been signed yet. I don’t want to say anything until it’s signed. But it’s a large amount, it’s enormous, and God willing, we will sign it in July in Abu Dhabi or Dubai.

It means that, once again, the land price might spike, just so you know. Therefore, this evening, I am delighted and I appreciate the commitment of PT Astra International that has supported IKN by building Astra Biz Center, an integrated one-stop service complex on a 3.4-hectare land that will serve 11 companies of the Astra Group. Thank you, Mr. Rudy.

I would also like to express my gratitude for the development of the Nusantara Botanical Garden carried out by the Consortium, as this is not for profit, but for a social purpose, because it is from their CSR. They spent a considerable amount of money, I don’t know how many hundreds of billions, but what matters is that the end product will be successfully produced. How much they spent is the concern of those whose names mentioned by Mr. Sugianto previously. The Botanical Garden will support Nusantara as a green city, a smart city, a livable city, and a lovable city for everyone. Without the support of the Botanical Garden, we would lose the essence of a future city.

That concludes my remarks. And by saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, today we officially commence the groundbreaking of the Astra Biz Center and Nusantara Botanical Garden.

Thank you. Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.Top of Form

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(AY/LW)