Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has underscored the significance of the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) mega project in addressing economic inequality among regions, during a tree-planting at the Pulogadung Industrial Estate Urban Forest in East Jakarta on Wednesday (28/11/2023). Highlighting the existing economic disparity, Jokowi noted that 58 percent of Indonesia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is concentrated in Java, saying, "58 percent (GDP) of the 17 thousand islands is in Java. Thus, we want to be Indonesia-centric." In response to criticism from presidential candidate Anies Baswedan, who expressed concerns about the IKN development creating unequal growth, Jokowi acknowledged differing opinions but reiterated that the IKN project is governed by Law No. 3 of 2022 on the National Capital City, antaranews.com reported. Expressing optimism about IKN's potential, President Jokowi believed it will contribute to more equal economic growth throughout the archipelago, envisioning the emergence of new economic growth points beyond Java. In addition to economic considerations, Jokowi highlighted the concentration of Indonesia's population in Java, emphasizing the need to distribute the population more evenly across the 17,000 islands. He believes that achieving both economic and population equality will foster new areas of economic growth. "I hope the direction is there. But this is indeed a long-term process, not a day or two, a year or two years," Jokowi concluded. (ar/inp/pr/nm)