Jakarta. BP Batam, the city's development agency, recently announced that the Rempang Eco-City project had been gaining more support from locals. Some residents have high hopes for the economic benefit of the project.

“Hopefully, it can drive our village’s economy,” Nurbaiti, a Sembulang Tanjung villager, was quoted as saying in a recent BP Batam press release.

Nurbaiti was one of the villagers who moved to the temporary housing just recently. Nurbaiti said that she hoped the program could open up hundreds of thousands of jobs for the people. So the coming generations could see how Rempang has progressed. 

“Nobody forced us to move. We did it at our own will to support Rempang’s development,” Nurbaiti said. 

Pasir Panjang villager Saemah made a similar comment.

“As an Indonesian citizen, we must support our country. Hopefully, our children and grandchildren can live a better life in the future,” Saemah said.