Presidential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his running mate, Jusuf Kalla, on Tuesday introduced their signature apparel for the presidential campaign
residential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his running mate, Jusuf Kalla, on Tuesday introduced their signature apparel for the presidential campaign.
Jokowi will wear a red-and-blue checkered shirt, the same distinguishing outfit he wore during campaigns in the race for the Jakarta governorship, while Kalla will wear a plain white shirt.
The two wore the apparel at an event to introduce their campaign materials in Surapati Park, Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday.
'This is what we are going to wear until July 9 [presidential election]. I will wear the checkered shirt while Pak JK will be in his plain white shirt. We will wear different shirts to symbolize that we complete each other. Pak JK is an experienced politician while I'm younger than him,' Jokowi told reporters.
Kalla added that they had decided that they would not wear same shirts to highlight their individual characters.
'Since I was a vice president I've always worn a plain white shirt. Pak Jokowi will stay as he is and me as I am. People have said that there would likely be 'twin suns' in our candidacy, but there will not be anything like that. There will be only one sun with two energies,' Kalla asserted.
Jokowi, who is currently on leave from the Jakarta governorship, and his deputy Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama wore similar checkered shirts that identified them as young leaders with a rebellious side to attract voters during the Jakarta gubernatorial election campaign in 2012.
Wearing different apparel, Jokowi and Kalla are set to stage campaign rallies separately during the open campaign period, which is scheduled to take place from June 4 through July 5.
Jokowi, a native Javanese who grew up in Surakarta, Central Java, said he would conduct campaign rallies in western Indonesia while Kalla, a prominent businessman from Makassar, South Sulawesi, would be on his home turf of eastern Indonesia.
'However, there will be certain occasions during which I will join Pak JK in eastern Indonesia or he joins me in western Indonesia,' said Jokowi. (ebf)
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