JAKARTA. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered all relevant parties to speed up the completion of infrastructure projects that will be used to support the 2018 Asian Games.

The President has also emphasized projects in the transportation sector in Sumatra that he says are crucial to ensure inter-regional connectivity during the regional sports event.

“Toll road, railways and the LRT [light rail transit] are also needed to support the economy in South Sumatra,” Jokowi said when addressing a limited Cabinet meeting at his office in Jakarta on Tuesday (21/3).

Jakarta and the South Sumatra provincial capital of Palembang are slated to host Asia's biggest quadrennial sporting event.

Furthermore, the President has also called for the acceleration of the development of special economic zones (KEK) in Tanjung Api-Api and Tanjung Carat.

(Read also: 18th Asian Games organizers race against time, graft allegations)

These projects would be able to create jobs and hence drive better economic growth in the province, Jokowi said.

“The KEK can also accommodate investment in the processing industries, such as 'petro chemicals' and 'crude refineries', as well as automotives, electronics and manufacturing,” said the President. He added the government would continue to boost the productivity of the agriculture sector.

It was decided in the latest coordination meeting between the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee and other stakeholders that the upcoming 2018 Asian Games will include 484 events in 42 sports.

Last week, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the government had spent Rp 30 trillion (US$2.2 billion) for infrastructure construction to support the Games. (bbs)

Editor: Sanny Cicilia