Jakarta. Vice-presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming made his debate debut by promising that he would continue with the new capital city project and domestic processing policies -- both at the heart of what his father President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has been pursuing. 

Gibran is currently facing fellow vice president candidates Muhaimin Iskandar and Mahfud MD. Although Gibran did not say Jokowi’s name, the 36-year-old said he would carry on existing government policies. This includes the domestic processing of Indonesia’s abundant natural resources as a means to generate jobs. 

“What’s next? We will continue this policy of developing our downstream industries. And this must not be only limited to mining. But agriculture, fishery, as well as digital [economy], among others. We will push for a development that is not heavily centralized in Java. We will develop the creative economy and micro, small and medium enterprises [MSMEs]. … If we take all these steps, we can create 19 million jobs,” Gibran said.

“The continuation of the new capital project will create new epicenters of economic growth, open up access and connectivity, while also generating jobs. Nusantara is not simply constructing government buildings, but it is a symbol of equitable development. The new capital is also the symbol of Indonesia’s development transformation,” Gibran said.

Speaking on developing the so-called “digital downstream industry”, Gibran said he would prepare young digital talents who are experts on artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics, sharia banking, and crypto. 

“The main narrative here is continuation, acceleration, and improvement,” Gibran, who is a running mate to Prabowo Subianto, said.

During his presidency, Jokowi has been vocal about the need to process Indonesia’s abundant natural resources for added value. This policy sees export restrictions on minerals such as nickel. Despite opposition from the European Union (EU), Jokowi has said that he had no plans to change this strategy. Earlier this year, the Investment Ministry unveiled a roadmap that showed Indonesia’s plans to develop the downstream industries of 21 commodities, including seaweed and palm oil.

Indonesia today is in the process of relocating the capital from the sinking Jakarta to East Kalimantan. This megaproject heavily relies on investment with Jokowi saying that it takes approximately $33 billion to build Nusantara from scratch. As of Dec. 15, the Nusantara project has garnered 328 letters of intent from interested investors, the city’s authority body reported.