K

hadija Rokhmat looked disappointed as she walked away from a tightly packed crowd of people surrounding outgoing Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo late Saturday afternoon.

“It’s really hard to get through all of those people. I only wanted to shake hands with Pak Fauzi,” the 53-year-old said almost losing her breath.

Khadidja and 10 other women from their neighborhood in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, drove across town around noon to Fauzi’s private residence on Jl. Teuku Umar in the prestigious Menteng residential area.

They joined hundreds of others from a number of organizations and groups hoping greet him and accompany him on a short stroll at the end of his last day as governor of Jakarta.

The incumbent’s supporters waited for hours before finally getting a glimpse of the governor.

Fauzi, still wearing his civil servant uniform, was immediately greeted by his supporters and by the Rebana Ketimpring group, a traditional tambourine ensemble associated with the Muslim Betawi (native Jakartans) community.

“Alhamdulillah [Praise be to God], I come home today accompanied by my supporters. This will be an unforgettable moment for me,” the governor said on a small stage set in front of his home.

He thanked his supporters for their hard work during the election process. “I know we all have worked hard, but we also worked wholeheartedly,” he said.

Fauzi lost in his re-election bid to challenger Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in the Sept. 20 runoff election, winning only 46.18 percent of the vote compared to the 53.82 percent gained by his rival.

The incumbent called on supporters to respect the election’s result, saying it was part of the democratic process.

“I have faith in democracy. Let’s maintain democracy. I expect to monitor the new administration, and make sure [Jokowi] does as he promised,” Fauzi said.

He reiterated his plan to keep working and contributing to the city. “I hope we all do the same for Jakarta,” he told his supporters.

Fauzi’s term ends on Sunday, when Jokowi is supposed to be sworn in into office.

The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta), however, had said that administrative paperwork would delay the inauguration ceremony.

Jakarta administration secretary Fadjar Panjaitan will serve as a temporary administration chief during the transition.

Although he had revealed the broad strokes of his plans for the initial period of his administration, Jokowi remained tight-lipped on the details. “I will announce my plan for the first 100 days of my administration in due time, that is, after I am inducted into office,” Jokowi told reporters on Friday during a visit to City Hall.  

Last week, Jokowi resigned from his post as the mayor of Surakarta, Central Java, following the official announcement of his victory. He only served two years of his second five-year term as mayor.

The Jakarta administration and the City Council have said the governor-elect’s inauguration is likely be held on Oct. 11.