KUCHING: Indonesia’s capital shift from Jakarta to a new site in Kalimantan will benefit not only Indonesia but also Sarawak and Sabah, said Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) president Datuk John Lau (pic).
“SPA hopes that the new capital of Indonesia will be located strategically close to Sarawak. This way it will enhance the economic and trade sector,” said Lau.
Touching on Sarawak’s offerings to the new capital, he believed that Indonesia would stand to gain from the state’s medical, education and tourism industries.
“Having visited Kalimantan — Banjarmasin, Samarinda, Balikpapan and Pontianak — I found that there is an abundance of natural resources there,” he said, trusting that the new capital would surely benefit from this.
The new capital, Lau remarked, would also gain the advantage of Kalimantan experiencing no natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
“We hope that Sarawak can supply raw materials like cement, steel, bricks and other construction materials for the development of Indonesia’s new capital,” he stated.
The Indonesian government aims to start moving to the new capital by 2024.
