Most East Kalimantan residents, including Balikpapan-based trader Mulyono, have felt elated since Aug. 26, when President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced the government had picked the province to be the location of the new capital city.

After years of in-depth study, the President announced the country’s new capital city would be built in parts of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regencies in East Kalimantan. The location was picked because it is, among other reasons, relatively free from the threat of natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes and is situated in the middle of the country – symbolizing equal development across all parts of the archipelago.

Mulyono, who moved to the city from the country’s most populated island of Java in 1993, said the plan was a beacon of hope for the province.

“I’m delighted to hear there will be development especially for regions in East Kalimantan. I believe the government will help us improve our welfare rather than bring it down,” 45-year-old Mulyono said recently.

“We’re ready to be called urban people!” he added. In Indonesia, people from outside Jakarta are often called orang daerah (country people) – a remark considered derogatory – even if they live in a city as big as Balikpapan.

For many people in Balikpapan, the government’s plan to build a new capital city in resource-rich East Kalimantan is seen as a second chance at survival after the city suffered an economic recession around the mid-2010s because of a bearish oil and gas market.

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