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Jokowi calls for national unity during 'tumpeng' cutting ceremony
âSorry for the late start, I heeded the call of the Maghrib prayer
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'Sorry for the late start, I heeded the call of the Maghrib prayer. Did any of you do the same?' President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo said as he gave an improvised speech at the National Monument (Monas) grounds.
Jokowi assessed the crowd's size as 'maybe about 1 million people', as he delivered a plea to people of all professions and economic backgrounds to unite in building a prosperous Indonesia with his government.
'People from all walks of life -- drivers, farmers, carpenters, doctors, soldiers, police officers, artists, sportspeople, students, politicians -- we must all work together and work hard to achieve prosperity. You cannot build a prosperous Indonesia through laziness,' the former Jakarta governor said in his speech on Monday evening.
The President reiterated his plea for hard work and mutual cooperation in order that the public help him build the ideal country that many long for.
His speech preceded the ceremonial cutting of tumpeng (rice cone served with various dishes), which symbolizes blessings for the future. He cut the top off the huge cone of rice, with the first recipients being five ordinary citizens.
A woman taxi driver, Siti Bugiyah was given the first cut of rice, followed by three Papuan women who work as market vendors in their province, and Josephine Monica, who recently won the Physics Olympiad. (dyl/nfo)(+++)
