Jakarta. The Indonesian government mulls hiring foreign workers in order to speed up the construction of the new national capital Nusantara in East Kalimantan, Chief Investment Minister Luhut BInsar Pandjaitan has said.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo earlier announced the target to launch the new capital during the country’s Independence Day celebrations next year, which also marks his final year in office.

Luhut said the government doesn’t want to compromise the quality of key infrastructures being built in Nusantara with the accelerated works.

"Accordingly, I have reported to the president that we have to hire bule as supervisors,” Luhut said on Friday, using the Indonesian term for people of Caucasian ethnicity. 

“We can’t afford to have the new presidential palace in an imperfect condition despite being completed,” he said during a hearing with lawmakers at the legislature building in Jakarta.

According to Luhut, the government is also working on the status of lands inside the Nusantara area intended for businesses, saying the issue should be settled by July 27.

The value of the land changes every six months in line with the progress in infrastructure development, he said.

The government has promised to grant land titles that span eight decades for industrial and residential properties in Nusantara.

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono claimed earlier that the construction of primary infrastructures like roads, water supplies, electricity lines, and main government buildings will be completed before August 17 next year, when Indonesia will celebrate 79 years as an independent nation.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with news broadcaster BTV recently, Basuki said construction works are now focusing on a toll road linking Nusantara Capital City and East Kalimantan’s biggest city Balikpapan.

In total, Basuki’s team is working on 76 construction projects, including four buildings for coordinating ministries that each will be temporarily used by related ministries until other offices are built.

“They will become sharing offices of ministries under the commanding ministers,” Basuki said.

In addition, the Public Works Ministry is also tasked with building 36 houses for the first cabinet members to be stationed in the new capital once the relocation begins and 47 high-rise apartments for civil servants and police members starting this July.

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