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It's morally wrong not to support Jokowi: Slank
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One of Indonesia's legendary bands, Slank, during an interview with The Jakarta Post in Gang Potlot, Jakarta. (JP/Bayu Widhiatmoko)
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mid the growing global trend of entertainers going political, Slank, one of Indonesia's legendary bands, has come out in support of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. The band members were avid supporters of Jokowi in the 2014 presidential election, after years of being active in social and politics activism via their music and idealism.
“Our decision to support Jokowi may be an unusual paradigm for some people. Here is a band that is close to authority without any transactional elements, such as money or anything else,” Slank's bass player Ivanka told The Jakarta Post. “It’s uncommon, and people may see it differently. What must be stated here is that our decision is based on our idealism.”
Slank's guitarist, Ridho, added, “People said we've accepted money [for supporting Jokowi], but you can check our bank accounts. We don't receive anything.”
The closeness of Slank and Jokowi enables the band to often have discussions with the President. “It just doesn't make sense to have this excellent figure so close and we don’t do anything to help him,” Bimbim said.
(Read also: Indonesians think they're invisible on social media: Slank)
The drummer recalled the time when Jokowi visited Slank’s fanbase in Potlot where he referred to the band as the first group of people to carry out a mental revolution. “I wondered why he said that, but I thought perhaps it’s because I had done drugs in the past and managed to get clean,” Bimbim said.
Meanwhile, Ivanka cites Jokowi's tenacity in achieving his purpose, “There are people who think negatively of him, but actually he has the intention to make society more prosperous, get a proper place, have understanding and create change,” he stated.
“We support this for our future,” said Ridho. “Basically, for me, Jokowi or other government members who have a similar vision to move forward are for our future. If we don’t support them, I think we’re morally wrong.”
Slank is scheduled to release its latest album, PalaLoPeyank, on Feb. 1. (asw)
