Heaptalk, Jakarta — The arrival of President Joko ‘Jokowi‘ Widodo to West Kutai Regency to commemorate the 24th anniversary of West Kutai brought exceptional enthusiasm to the government and society in the region. During this presidential working visit, the Regent of West Kutai, FX Yapan, representing the local community, declared his support for the development of the new capital of Indonesia, generally known as IKN.
“Today, on Friday, November 3rd, 2023, we, all the society of West Kutai, are grateful and fully support the development of the New Capital of the Archipelago (IKN) in East Kalimantan, which we love. Through this strategic effort, I hope we will continue to be successful.” The Regent FX Yapan affirmed on Friday. (03/11)
In his speech before President Jokowi and thousands of people at Itho Square, FX Yapan affirmed that an IKN development would have a significant impact on the district for its role as an IKN buffer region. In more detail, he explained the expected result covers the advancement of infrastructure in the Tanaa Purai Ngeriman Regency, which is estimated to uplift the society’s prosperity.
Apart from pledging support for IKN, the Regent also asked for the central government’s attention to support the continuation of the construction of the Aji Tulur Jejangkat bridge in this regency, which has been delayed since 2012. Based on the Regent’s statement, this bridge is valuable for the local community to connect West Kutai with Kutai Kartanegara and Samarinda.
“Not for a conflict of interest, we need this bridge as our requisites because its presence can shorten travel time by approximately two hours. This bridge can connects our region with East Kutai, Bontang, Samarinda, and Tenggarong. We hope that this transportation infrastructure will cut the distance of up to 70km from West Kutai to Kutai Kartanegara,” FX Yapan conveyed during his speech at the region’s Anniversary ceremony.
As information, Indonesia’s President conducted a working visit to IKN and its buffer areas, one of which was West Kutai. During this visit, the seventh President of the archipelago was accompanied by the Minister of SOE, Erick Thohir, the Governor of West Java, Ridwan Kamil, and the Commander of the TNI, Yudo Margono.
