T

he government will propose that its capital Jakarta, as well as the cities of Makassar in South Sulawesi and Banyuwangi in East Java, be included in an upcoming ASEAN smart cities program, as the bloc seeks ways to build more sustainable cities in the region.

Indonesia is gearing up for the 32nd ASEAN Summit, to be held from April 25 to 28 in Singapore.

Prior to the summit, all ASEAN member states are requested to propose either two or three cities for the smart cities program.

The program aimed to further promote the use of technology in improving cities and enable transparent and effective city management, said Chandra Widya Yudha, the Foreign Ministry’s director for ASEAN political-security cooperation.

“Indonesia has proposed Jakarta, Makassar and Banyuwangi,” he told a press briefing on Friday.

Jakarta is often seen as “the seat of ASEAN”, due to it being the location of the ASEAN Secretariat, while Makassar has been labeled a gateway to Indonesia’s eastern provinces. Meanwhile, Banyuwangi received an ASEAN Tourism Standard Award in the clean tourist city category earlier this year.

The ASEAN summit is expected to produce several leader statements, including one on a smart city network.

“This is an attempt to reach a common goal to build sustainable cities,” Chandra said.