Indonesian president to move ahead with relocating capital

April 29 (UPI) -- Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Monday that he will move ahead with plans to relocate the country's capital out of crowded Jakarta and off Java island.

Widodo said the move would address crowding problems in the city and on the island, as well as help spread development in the country.

"The president has decided in a meeting to move the capital outside Java," Bambang Brodjonegoro, head of the country's National Development Planning Agency, or Bappenas, said.

The agency suggested moving the capital to another location on Java, which serves 57 percent of the country's population of 260 million or keeping the capital in Jakarta but establishing a government district.

Jakarta is listed at the world's 21st most populous city, with more than 9 million people, about a million people more than New York City.

"We want to have a capital that represents the nation's identity and improves the efficiency of the central government and establish a smart, green and beautiful city," Bambang said. "The capital relocation must serve the strategic vision of our long-term development agenda."

Widodo ordered his working cabinet ministers to create a financial plan to move the capital within its budget, probably involving a third party under the control over administration.

"We can synergize with state-owned enterprises or private parties directly or offer the government-to-business cooperation scheme for the infrastructure, office buildings, or commercial facilities, as well as residents," Bambang said.