KUCHING: Works Minister Baru Bian (pic) said he is excited by the planned relocation of Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to Kalimantan in Borneo.
He said it will definitely open up the whole Kalimantan side with the construction of roads and other facilities.
“It will boost economic activities and the spillover effect will be felt in neighbouring territories namely, Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei,” he told New Sarawak Tribune, yesterday.
Baru, who is Selangau MP and Ba’Kelalan assemblyman, hinted that his ministry may be mulling a Trans Borneo Highway project if there is confirmation on the relocation plan.
“From the point of
infrastructural connectivity, there is already talk on the construction of a Trans Borneo Highway that would connect Sabah with Kalimantan and Kalimantan with Sarawak.
“The exit point in Sarawak is through Long Bawan into Ba’Kelalan.
“This will connect with our proposed Sarawak-Sabah Link Road, thus will generate a lot of socio-economic activities and at the same time boost tourism activities along these
alignments.
“It would be good for Sarawak and Sabah especially our people who live in the upper region of Miri, Limbang and Lawas,” he said.
On Aug 8, Indonesian
president Joko Widodo (known as Jokowi) has taken to Twitter to make the big announcement of the capital change.
According to Jokowi’s Tweet, the new capital is a toss-up between Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan or South Kalimantan.
