President Jokowi To Attend Sail Karimata Festival

Pontianak, W Kalimantan (Antara Bali) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is expected to attend the Sail Karimata 2016 peak event to be held in North Kayong District, West Kalimantan, at the weekend, West Kalimantan Deputy Governor Christiandy Sanjaya said.

The regional governments of West Kalimatan and North Kayong District held a coordination meeting with the central government team on Wednesday to discuss the latest preparations for the event.

"Today, we discussed various technical and final preparations for the holding of the Sail Karimata peak event. The local governments of West Kalimantan and North Kayong District as well as the Presidential Guard Team discussed the planned visit to the president," the deputy governor said.

He said it is amost sure that the President will come. "If held a meeting like this the president will surely come. Therefore, we hope that Sail Karimata will bring positive impact to all," he said.

Earlier, West Kalimantan Regional Government Spokesman Numsuan Madsun said the local government has disbursed Rp239.03 billion to make the sailing event in North Kayong a success.

Therefore, West Kalimantan is ready to host the 'Sail Karimata 2016' peak event at Pulau Datuk's beach of Sukadana Subdistrict, North Kayong,  some 550 kilometers to the south of provincial capital Pontianak on October 15, 2016.

West Kalimantan Governor Cornelius  assured that the sail event which has been launched since last June, involving four neighboring provinces of  West Kalimantan, Riau Islands and Jambi will run smoothly.  
"I will keep a check on the progress. We today had a meeting to discuss the preparations," Governor Cornelius was quoted as saying by Tribunpontianak.co.id news portal prior to the peak event.

According to the governor, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is expected to open the peak event of Sail Karimata 2016. Therefore, all relevant regional officials should ensure that everything is in place before the October 15 deadline.

The peak event of the sail race --at which the government predicts  foreign tourists will spend some US$5 to 6 million (Rp66 billion), while Indonesian tourists will spend Rp10 billion (US$740,000)-- will take place  in North Kayong District, West Kalimantan, on October 15.

Although the peak event will be held in West Kalimantan province, Sail Karimata will also help boost the economies of other provinces involved in the boating race, such as Bangka Belitung, Jambi and Riau Islands. (WDY)