Jakarta: Indonesian leader Joko Widodo said Friday he would press on with plans to move the nation’s capital and roll out measures to kickstart Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.
In a sweeping state-of-the-nation address, Widodo asked parliament to sign off on a plan to move the capital to Borneo, shifting Indonesia’s political heart from traffic-clogged megacity Jakarta — one of the fastest-sinking cities on the planet.
“I’m asking for your permission to relocate our capital to the island of Kalimantan,” Widodo told lawmakers, referring to Indonesia’s portion of Borneo.
“A capital is not only a symbol of a nation’s identity, it also represents its progress,” he added. Widodo did not reveal a specific location for the country’s new capital or new details about when the move could happen. (AFP)
