East Kalimantan - President Joko Widodo chaired the inaugural Plenary Cabinet Meeting in the location designed as the new center of Indonesia's government, namely the Nusantara Capital City (IKN), on Monday, 12 August 2024. Starting the session held at Garuda Palace, President Jokowi expressed his gratitude to Allah SWT for this special opportunity.
"IKN is a canvas that carves the future, and not all countries have the opportunity or ability to build their capital cities starting from scratch," the President was quoted as saying in a written statement by BPMI Setpres.
In his introduction, President Jokowi explained that the archipelago was built with the concept of a forest city, which is filled with green plants, as well as a smart city that is supported by technology in every activity. "It is also a liveable city, a city that is comfortable to live in," the President said.
The President emphasized how healthy the environment is in IKN, referring to the excellent air quality index. He also highlighted the importance of a change in mindset in order to move to IKN.
"The move to the Nusantara Capital City is not only a matter of physical displacement, but also about shifting our mindset, mindset, and work patterns that allow us to work from anywhere. Mobility must also change," the President said.
The President explained that all mobility activities in IKN will use electric vehicles and green energy, and emphasized the importance of buildings in IKN that lead to the concept of green building and friendly accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. He also emphasized that IKN will be the center of a green and digital economy that covers various sectors.
"The economy that will be developed in the Nusantara Capital City is a green economy and digital economy that will accompany the government here," he said.
In addition to discussing IKN, the plenary session also discussed several other important issues. The President highlighted the decline in Indonesia's PMI (Purchasing Manager Index) which has entered a contraction level after 34 consecutive months of expansion, and instructed ministers to anticipate the decline.
"I want to find out the main cause and immediately anticipated because the decline in PMI has occurred since the last four months," the President said.
The President also emphasized the importance of shopping for local products, the ease of local raw materials, and the protection of domestic industries. In addition, he encouraged the search for new export markets to overcome the economic slowdown of Indonesia's main trading partners.
"We must look for non-traditional markets and potential new export markets," the President said.
The Plenary Cabinet Meeting not only marked the start of a new era in the nation's capital, but also showed the government's commitment to maintaining Indonesia's economic growth amid increasingly complex global challenges.