The president noted that after the government executed the plan to transfer the seat of government from Jakarta to Nusantara, the people that have been living in the new capital development site and its surroundings would meet and live alongside those from other regions.
"The development of IKN will make East Kalimantan, in particular, a nexus of interactions between various cultures. We hope that multicultural people will live well in harmony while maintaining, preserving, and developing the identity, values, and traditions of East Kalimantan's local culture," he remarked.
President Jokowi made the statement in his opening speech for the Harmony of Nusantara Culture Festival 2023 that was followed via a video broadcast in Jakarta.
In his speech, he urged all people to build mutual awareness and mutual respect for diversity while upholding the principle of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, or Unity in Diversity, to build harmony, togetherness, and unity.
He also spoke of having launched the development of various infrastructure in Indonesia's future capital city over the last three months, including five big hotels, four hospitals, an international-level school, two shopping centers, and a training center of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI).
Furthermore, the president underscored the importance of developing the quality of human resources in IKN in the hopes of protecting the culture of East Kalimantan from adverse impacts of the surge of the influence of foreign culture.
"We have been building physical infrastructure but we should be aware that we need to prioritize the development of human resources and preservation of culture, so that local culture will not be swept away by foreign culture," he emphasized.
Bearing that in mind, he lauded the holding of the Harmony of Nusantara Culture Festival 2023 in Sepaku Sub-district, East Kalimantan, as he believes that the festival can help to spotlight the cultural and art diversity that Indonesia is blessed with.
"Indonesia is home to 714 ethnic groups. Hence, we should make utmost efforts to preserve and foster our strength, character, and culture," he affirmed.
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Translator: Mentari Dwi, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Arie Novarina
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