Indonesia's Jokowi on nationwide tour as his 2-term presidency nears end

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - President Joko Widodo is touring Indonesia during the final days of his second term.

Popular as Jokowi, the 63-year-old president will be succeeded by Prabowo Subianto, 72, on Oct. 20.

In recent days, Jokowi has toured several regions of the archipelago of 17,000 islands, including Surabaya, Semarang and Medan where he reviewed progress reports about developmental projects as well as the availability of essentials, including food.

His latest trip was to Alor Regency in East Nusa Tenggara province where he interacted with students.

“My children, study diligently and always instill a sense of love for the land to build a progressive and peaceful Indonesia in the future,” he told students.

The successive tenure of Jokowi has seen stability in Indonesian politics and an infrastructure boom in southeast Asia’s largest economy.

Jokowi, who was first elected in 2014 and reelected in 2019, has served two consecutive terms, the maximum by the Constitution.

The businessman-turned-politician, who was born in Surakarta in the Central Java region, first served as governor of Jakarta between 2012 and 14.


- Stability and legacy

With the support of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, he became the first president with no military background nor did he belong to one of the country’s prominent political families.

"At the start of his administration, there was overwhelming support for Jokowi, with many backing him no matter what he did," Franka Soeria, an Indonesian fashion consultant and entrepreneur, told Anadolu.

Franka noted, however, that there are “visible signs of disillusionment.”

The shift in public perception has been particularly noticeable online, where discussions about Jokowi’s leadership have taken a more critical tone.

She pointed out issues with his sons, changes to laws and controversies, like the use of private jets, have “led to criticism, particularly on social media platforms,” she added.

But the designer acknowledged that Jokowi still has his favorites in rural Indonesia.

"In rural areas, public opinion might still lean toward Jokowi, given his infrastructure projects and social welfare programs,” said Soeria.

Indonesia opened southeast Asia’s first high-speed train early this year -- one of the big projects completed by the Jokowi administration.

As planned, Jokowi started to work from Indonesia’s new capital, the $32 billion Nusantara.

He held his final Cabinet meeting in the new capital last month.

Incoming President Prabowo, a former army general, has pledged to continue Jokowi’s policies, including the ambitious capital relocation plan.

Indonesia held its presidential elections in February when Prabowo won with more than 55% of the vote.

"There is a lot of hope that the new President Prabowo will fully take charge and bring positive change to the country," said Franka, reflecting the widespread anticipation for a fresh approach to governance.

Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, will be vice president in the Prabowo’s administration, which has received overwhelming support in parliament which is represented by at least eight parties.

Parliament convened Tuesday for a new legislative year, with 732 lawmakers sworn in, including 360 first-time members.

The ceremony included 580 elected members of the House of Representatives and 152 elected senators, all of whom were elected in February.