JAKARTA: President Joko Widodo on Wednesday led the groundbreaking ceremony for the first state mosque in Indonesia’s new capital city Nusantara.
The Indonesian government is relocating the capital to Borneo island to replace the overcrowded and sinking Jakarta on Java island, with the $32 billion megaproject scheduled for completion in 2045.
With the first phase of building set to end in 2024, Widodo inaugurated the construction of various buildings in Nusantara on Wednesday, including the mosque, a branch of the country’s biggest postal service firm Pos Indonesia, and a broadcast studio for the RRI state radio network.
The $62 million mosque will be built in a complex that will eventually house other places of worship, as the government will also erect Christian churches, and Buddhist, Hindu, and Chinese temples, Widodo noted.
“I want this mosque to be an example for other mosques in the world, and for it to showcase Indonesia’s unique qualities.”
