Three Provinces Being Assessed to Become State Capital, Says President

President Joko Widodo observed the Balikpapan-Samarinda toll road development project on Thursday, July 13, 2017 – Antara photo.

Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, 19 Shawwal 1438/13 July 2017 (MINA) – An assessment of three provinces is being conducted to determine which one deserves to become the state capital of Indonesia, Antara News quoted President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as stating.

“Three provinces are included in the assessment process, but I do not want to mention them because they are still being studied by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas),” President Jokowi remarked here on Thursday.

The discourse of relocating the Indonesian state capital of Jakarta could be an option for equitable development outside Java Island.

As the worlds most populous island, with more than 60 percent of Indonesias population living there, Java has been the most developed of all islands across the country.

Although Java is the fourth-largest island in Indonesia, it accommodates more than half of the nations population and dominates it politically and economically.

Although the president chose to not name the three provinces, Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta early this month that the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan are being evaluated to become the new state capital. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)