JAKARTA: JOKO Widodo was sworn in yesterday as the new president of Indonesia in a ceremony witnessed by an impressive cast of foreign dignitaries.
Indonesians, on their part, have expressed, distinctly, high hopes for the new leader, a mood illustrated by the “Kerja Kerja Kerja” cover of the special edition of the Tempo magazine. Generally, talk shows and media analyses hint at a nation longing for, and anticipating, a leap.
“Langkah Besar Menjadi Bangsa Besar”, read the heading of Media Indonesia. The newspaper said in a Page 1 editorial that the country had been trailing others.
Hitting the ground running and a commitment to strive for the people have been a rallying cry of Joko, a theme he returned to in an acceptance speech that, among others, proclaimed a desire to revive the country’s past maritime success.
Yesterday, initial fear of pockets of protests evaporated quickly.
Joko, nicknamed Jokowi, and returning Vice-President Jusuf Kalla — the Jokowi-JK team — were greeted by teeming crowds at public events held following the 10.30am swearing-in ceremony at the Parliament building.
At 1.30pm, the Jokowi-JK team rode on the Kenchana carriage from a famed spot in the city, Bundaran Hotel Indonesia, to Istana Merdeka, the presidential palace.
Huge crowds cheered on the new leader in sweltering heat.
The president had a big hand in influencing the immediate mood. Prabowo Subianto, who was locked with Joko in an intense presidential election, was in the chambers during the inauguration.
His attendance is seen as deepening a promise of reconciliation. Prabowo’s Red and White coalition controls a majority of MPR (People’s Consultative Assembly) seats. He had secured 47 per cent of the votes in the July presidential election.
“Sahabat baik saya Prabowo Subianto,” Joko referred to Prabowo in his speech.
This prompted Prabowo, a retired general, to rise to his feet, producing a military salute in a powerful symbolism.
Indonesia has experienced sweeping changes in recent years and many of the major personalities of the post-Suharto era were present at the inauguration.
Among them were past presidents B.J. Habibie and Megawati Sukarnoputri, the latter being leader of PDI-P, which had fielded Joko as its presidential candidate.
Blurry party lines seem to be a feature of Indonesian politics. Joko had won the 2012 gubernatorial elections on the ticket of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party.
Of immediate interest would be promises of an efficient cabinet featuring professionals and exciting talents. Critics, as expected, are not sure this was possible given the need for horse-trading and compromises. There is also the looming fuel price increases. A keen Indonesian watcher made this observation yesterday: “The Jokowi-JK team should be a good combination.”
Joko is not a traditional politician. He is the first provincial personality to make it to Istana Merdeka.
The big advantage being that he has not had to make compromises like rewarding backers. The disadvantage of being an outsider is the knowledge of the inner workings of the government.
This, according to the observer, would be the role of the ultimate insider, 72-year-old Jusuf, who had served as a vice-president from 2004 to 2009.