TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo today, May 7, conducted working visits to several regions in Kalimantan Island.

"The visit is part of the government’s serious effort in moving the capital city of the Republic of Indonesia," said the Deputy of Protocol, Press, and Media of the Presidential Secretariat Bey Machmudin in a press release Tuesday, May 7.

Bey explained the President arrived in Balikpapan city, East Kalimantan province at 11:55 Central Indonesian Time (WITA) and directly head to the alternative locations of the new capital city.

Read: President Jokowi Serious About Capital City Move

From Balikpapan, President and the entourage continued the trip to Central Kalimantan. “The President is planned to have a night in Palangkaraya city to continue his working visit series a day after, including inspection of other locations for the relocation of the capital city,” Bey said.

During a fast-breaking gathering on Monday, May 6, with state institutions higher-ups in the Palace, Jokowi asserted again that the government’s plan to move the capital city was not a trivial one.

"We are serious in this matter because from three years ago, we have canvassed this in an internal meeting. Then 1.5 years ago, we asked Bappenas (National Development Planning Agency) to conduct more detailed studies from the economic, social-politics, and environmental side," said the President.

The entourage accompanied the President in a flight to East Kalimantan included Cabinet Secretary Pramono Agung, Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Bappenas Chair Bambang Brodjonegoro, Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister/National Land Agency (BPN) Chief Sofyan A. Djalil, Presidential Military Secretary Air Vice Marshall Trisno Hendradi, and the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) commander Major General Maruli Simanjuntak.

AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI