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Jokowi takes wife, children on campaign trail
Presidential candidate Joko âJokowiâ Widodo was accompanied Thursday by almost his entire immediate family in Jayapura, Papua, the first city on his campaign trail
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residential candidate Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo was accompanied Thursday by almost his entire immediate family in Jayapura, Papua, the first city on his campaign trail.
His wife, Iriana, and their children, Kahiyang Ayu and Kaesang Pangarep, who donned similar red-and-blue-checked shirts, accompanying Jokowi to a number of places, including Yoka village in Heram district, a restaurant on the shores of Lake Sentani, and the Waringin sports center.
Jokowi introduced his wife, whose name contains the word 'Irian', Papua's former name, to the public. 'My wife was named Iriana because her grandfather was a teacher who was deployed to the then named Irian Jaya for quite some time. That's why you should vote for me,' he said, adding 'particularly you, the women'.
Iriana did not speak much during the day, but she played a good role as an aspiring first lady, greeting local women and asking them questions about local challenges.
Meanwhile, the couple's children spent most of the time watching their parents or having their pictures taken with locals.
Jokowi said that his family's presence boosted his spirit and confidence. 'Of course, it feels different with them here. At least, there's someone here who cares about my meals,' he joked.
He added, however, that his family would not be accompanying him for the remaining campaign stopovers. 'I am only bringing them to Papua,' he said.
When asked about her recipe for keeping her husband healthy, Iriana answered with a giggle, 'I make him jamu [traditional herbal drink] but I also have a secret recipe'.
Both the children were shy about facing the media. Kahiyang tried her best to avoid reporters, while Kaesang only gave brief answers to reporters' questions.
'I came to see my dad [campaigning]. My oldest brother [Gibran Rakabuming] is working in Surakarta, so he couldn't join us,' Kaesang said.
Meanwhile, in his campaign mode, Jokowi reiterated his commitment to develop Papua, saying the province 'is very important to Indonesia'.
'I have come back to Papua [...] to emphasize how important this province is to Indonesia. If I was only seeking votes, I could do that in Java. But this is not about votes; it's about giving attention to Papua,' he said.
When he arrived in Jayapura, he went straight to the Prahara Sentani traditional market in Sentani, Jayapura regency, to greet local residents and market vendors.
Jokowi previously visited Jayapura in April while campaigning for the legislative election.
During his current visit, Jokowi introduced his priority programs for Papua, namely his Indonesia Smart Card and Indonesia Health Card programs, inspired by the education and healthcare programs he introduced when he became Jakarta governor.
'All Papuans should be able to enjoy higher education,' he said.
Jokowi added that he also aimed to develop educational and economic infrastructure by developing traditional markets and building a rail-based transportation network to ease distribution.
Papua, despite the exploitation of its natural resources, still lags behind Java and Sumatra in terms of development.
He also pledged to open access to the province for foreign journalists and international organizations, if he was elected president.
'Why not? It's safe here in Papua. There's nothing to hide,' Jokowi said.
For decades now, parts of Papua ' especially PT Freeport Indonesia's Grassberg mine ' have been restricted to foreign journalists and international organizations.
