Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo held his first cabinet meeting in the planned new capital, Nusantara, on August 12.
At the event, Jokowi, preparing to leave the office in October, stressed that the new capital marked a historic new chapter for the country, and not every nation has the opportunity or ability to construct a new capital from zero.
He added that Nusantara has a strategic location that could promote equal development across the country.
The meeting was also attended by defence minister and president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, who will be inaugurated on October 20.
It focused on the development orientation of Nusantara and the transition to the new government.
Jokowi vowed that he will continue accompanying the project, and expressed his belief that it will attract more foreign capital.
The 32-billion USD city is developed to ease burden for Jakarta capital which is facing traffic congestion, overpopulation and flooding. Nusantara is being built in a forested pocket on the island of Borneo, about 1,200 km from the current capital. However, it is facing multiple problems such as construction delays and a lack of foreign investment./.
