He and other governors were invited to a ceremony to mix soil and water from the country's 34 provinces at the location of the new capital in the presence of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).
"We from Jakarta bring water and soil specifically taken yesterday by the women from the Akuarium kampong in North Jakarta to echo a hope that the new city, which will be built, later will become a capital city that prioritizes benefits for the common people," Baswedan remarked in a statement issued on the YouTube channel of the Indonesian Presidential Secretariat on Monday.
The community at Akuarium is a group that had been marginalized. However, currently, they are at the forefront and have all the necessary facilities. Hence, the water and soil from Akuarium kampong carry a message of social justice for all Indonesian people, according to the Jakarta Governor.
Through the message, Jakarta hopes the next capital city will always uphold social justice, in line with the first and main mandate of the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia, which is social justice for every Indonesian, he added.
For Jakarta, the relocation of the nation's capital is an opportunity to further accelerate development and become on par with other global cities.
Baswedan also emphasized that Jakarta is the largest megapolitan city in the southern hemisphere, and the shifting of the capital must be taken as an opportunity to accelerate the development of the main elements of a global city, namely population mobility based on public transportation that is environmentally friendly.
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"Second, (there must be) health facilities and educational facilities of international standard that have an attraction for global talent so that the benefits of the productivity in this city can be felt both in Indonesia and at the global level," he said.
He welcomed the momentum of moving the capital city as an opportunity for Jakarta to become one of the world's global city hubs.
"A global city is not only in terms of the economic aspect, but also cultural, social, and educational aspects. All of these must be developed," he said.
Other governors also brought with them soil and water from places considered sacred in their respective provinces for the ceremony.
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Translator: Rangga PAJ, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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