- Title: Indonesia president formally proposes relocating capital to Borneo
- Date: 16th August 2019
- Summary: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (AUGUST 16, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** INDONESIAN PRESIDENT JOKO WIDODO BOWING IN PARLIAMENT AND WALKING UP TO PODIUM / OFFICIALS TAKING SEATS MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT SEATED SPEECH IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) INDONESIAN PRESIDENT, JOKO WIDODO, SAYING: "On this historic day, I would like to request Allah's blessing and hereby request the respected members of parliament, senior officials, national figures and all the people of Indonesia, for your permission and support to move our capital to the island of Kalimantan." SPEECH IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) INDONESIAN PRESIDENT, JOKO WIDODO, SAYING: "A capital city is not just a symbol of national identity, but also a representation of the progress of the nation. This is for the realisation of economic equality and justice. This is the vision of an advanced Indonesia." CABINET MEMBERS LISTENING WIDODO LEAVING AND SHAKING HANDS WITH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT INDONESIAN FLAGS EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT
- Embargoed: 30th August 2019 09:11
- Keywords: Indonesia President Joko Widodo capital Borneo Kalimantan
- Location: JAKARTA / GUNUNG MAS, CENTRAL KALIMANTAN PROVINCE / KUTAI KARTANEGARA, EAST KALIMANTAN PROVINCE, INDONESIA
- City: JAKARTA / GUNUNG MAS, CENTRAL KALIMANTAN PROVINCE / KUTAI KARTANEGARA, EAST KALIMANTAN PROVINCE, INDONESIA
- Country: Indonesia
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001ASGUEDJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday (August 16) formally proposed to parliament a plan to move the country's capital from Jakarta, on the crowded island of Java, to Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
Widodo made the proposal during his state of the union speech at parliament, a day before the country celebrates its 74th independence anniversary.
The president who was elected to his second term last month said the move signatures a leap in the country's progress and is the "realization of economic equality and justice".
Widodo visited three candidate cities in Kalimantan in May. He did not specify on Friday the exact location for the new capital.
The current capital Jakarta is home to more than 10 million people, but around three times that many live in the surrounding towns, adding to severe traffic congestion that the government estimated costs $7 billion in economic losses each year.
(Production: Adi Kurniawan, Heru Asprihanto, Angie Teo) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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