During his visit to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Agus shared his commitment to improve the capital's art and cultural scene, which included providing more space for local artists to express and nurture their talent.

"One of our programs is to make Jakarta a smart, creative and green city or, in other words, a livable and sustainable city," said Agus. "The creativity depends on how we incorporate the local culture, which is Betawi, with other Indonesian cultures, as Jakarta is a melting pot."

(Read also: Agus to become 'field guerrilla' to secure votes face-to-face)

He added that he did not want the revitalization program to be centralized in only one area as he realized that there were 44 districts in Jakarta and it would be great if each district had its own room to nurture local artists.

In addition to the revitalization program, Agus also shared plans to create outdoor spaces for art and culture and encourage collaboration between younger and older generations.

During his "guerrilla" campaign around Jakarta, Agus said he came across people who expressed concern of their dying local art. However, he sees opportunities in local art communities and is certain if managed properly, they will provide an extra value beyond the local economy. "We can introduce [our] culture to other cities in the archipelago, as well as to the world. However, both goodwill and courage are needed to make such a breakthrough." (kes)

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