Related News
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here Friday commented on the idea of moving the national capital from Jakarta to overcome various problems including traffic congestion in the city.

"(We will) build a completely new capital, which would be the real capital, the real government center," he said at a fast breaking gathering with leaders and members of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) at the Jakarta Convention Center.

He said moving the national capital and government center altogether to solve certain problems was also done before by other countries such as Australia and Turkey.

Other options were maintaining Jakarta as the capital but moving the center of government activities to a new place, he said.

President Yudhoyono said this option had also been taken by Malaysia which had retained Kuala Lumpur as the national capital but moved the government center to Putrajaya.

He said it would take around ten years to implement any of the options. Only after ten years would the new capital or government center become operational and orderly.

With regard to moving the government center, the President especially called for a careful discussion on it. As a huge project the option must be carried out with careful calculations and by considering all aspects.

He said the project would also cost a lot and referring as an example to the moving of the Malaysian government center from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya that had cost around Rp80 trillion.

"I will listen to inputs from many parties," he said.

President Yudhoyono said if the option of maintaining Jakarta as the capital and government center would be taken he suggested improving various infrastructures in the city, especially with regard to overcoming traffic congestion.

He said all offices concerned had to build transportation facilities on land, below the ground and above streets.

He said traffic congestion in Jakarta was explainable. He said it happens because the number of cars and motorcycles was increasing quite rapidly, namely by around 10 percent to 15 percent a year while new roads were increasing only 0.01 percent a year.

He said the situation was worsened by various problems relating to population density and the ratio of buildings to housing estates.

President Yudhoyono said the three options had their own positive and negative sides and therefore he called on all parties to help find the right solution to the various problems in the city as a capital and center of government. "I have quietly also been thinking about it," he said.

The gathering was also attended by some cabinet ministers including Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Djoko Suyanto and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Radjasa.

(H-YH/S012/S026)

Editor: Suryanto
COPYRIGHT © 2012

Comment
Send Comment