"Right now, it's just the two of us (Susantono and Rahajoe), building a 'capable' institution that can run fast to build the Nusantara city, of course, together with stakeholders," he remarked at the State Palace here on Thursday.
President Joko Widodo inaugurated Susantono as the IKN Authority head and Dhony Rahajoe as the deputy head on Thursday. The Presidential Decree regarding their appointment was enacted on March 9, 2022.
Susantono said that he had previously held discussions with President Widodo on the country's new capital.
"We have had initial discussions with the President. And the President said that the city must build a new civilization. He wants the city to be a model not only for Indonesia. If possible 'it's a global city,’" he added.
He said that he received confirmation that he will be sworn in as head of the IKN Authority two weeks ago.
Related news: New capital to unite people: Nusantara head
According to Susantono, President Widodo wants IKN to reflect the city of the future. Hence, IKN programs will not only build physical but also social cohesion, he said.
"Dynamic community cohesion, which is vibrant; so once again this is a city for all," he remarked.
IKN spans approximately 256,142 hectares of land and a marine area of approximately 68,189 hectares in North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara districts in East Kalimantan province.
Prior to his appointment, Susantono had been serving as vice president for management and sustainable development at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) since July 2015.
He has previously been appointed as deputy minister of transportation in 2009–2014 and deputy coordinating minister for the economy for infrastructure coordination and regional development in 2007–2010.
Born on November 4, 1963, he graduated from the Civil Engineering Faculty of Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in 1987.
Susantono earned a master's degree in urban planning from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1996 and a master's in transportation from the same university in 1998. He then pursued a doctorate in infrastructure planning at the university.
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Translator: Desca LN, Fardah
Editor: Suharto
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