Indonesia president formally proposes relocating capital to Borneo

[JAKARTA] Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday formally proposed to parliament a plan to move the country's capital from Jakarta, on the crowded island of Java, to Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.

Mr Widodo made the proposal during his state of the union speech at parliament, a day before the country celebrates its 74th independence anniversary.

"I hereby request your permission to move our national capital to Kalimantan," said Mr Widodo, who will be sworn in for a second term in October after winning April's election.

"A capital city is not just a symbol of national identity, but also a representation of the progress of the nation. This is for the realisation of economic equality and justice," he said, without specifying the exact location for the new capital.

REUTERS