INDONESIA EXPANDS SMART CITY NETWORK TO ASEAN

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 28 (Antara) - Indonesia, which is launching a 100 smart city movement, has proposed three cities to be included in the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) cooperation program.         The ASCN cooperation program is in line with the Indonesian government's movement to carry out its 100 smart city program this year, after it had named 25 smart cities in 2017.         The cities, which were proposed for inclusion in the ASCN program during 32nd ASEAN Summit in Singapore on Friday, are Jakarta, Makassar of South Sulawesi Province, and Banyuwangi of East Java.          Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, during a press conference on the 32nd ASEAN Summit on Friday night in Singapore, stated that the concept of ASCN was designed to achieve the shared goal of smart city development in the ASEAN networking. "Each country delivers three cities, and Indonesia has proposed Jakarta, Makassar, and Banyuwangi," she noted.          The Minister of Foreign Affairs remarked in the plenary of the ASEAN Summit that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that people should be the focus in the development of the ASEAN community as it is a centered and people-oriented organization.