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Swearing-in of President, VP celebrated nationwide
The swearing-in on Monday of Joko âJokowiâ Widodo and Jusuf Kalla as President and Vice President, respectively, was celebrated across the archipelago, albeit in different ways
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he swearing-in on Monday of Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and Jusuf Kalla as President and Vice President, respectively, was celebrated across the archipelago, albeit in different ways.
In Surakarta, Central Java, two transportation vehicles that Jokowi, the city's former mayor, left to boost the city's tourism ' namely the Jaladara steam train and the double-decker Werkudara bus ' undertook a special journey from Purwosari train station to Gladag. 'The train and the bus have helped Solo's branding,' said Surakarta Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo, referring to Surakarta's more familiar nickname.
In another corner of the city, namely Pasar Gede, people gathered together to watch a live TV broadcast of the swearing-in ceremony on a giant screen that was installed at a corner of the market.
After the inauguration ceremony had ended, market traders distributed free fruit tumpeng (rice cone) for people to enjoy.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, some 300 employees and volunteers from the Kalla Group joined a program held at Wisma Kalla, the offices of Jusuf Kalla's company, where they enjoyed the 45 tumpeng prepared for the occasion.
A thanksgiving ceremony and a music concert were also organized by Jokowi-Kalla volunteers in Karebosi Square, Makassar, from 5 p.m. local time, which ended with the release of 500 lanterns into the sky.
Jokowi and Kalla's inauguration has also given hope to displaced Ahmadis, who have been living in the Wisma Transito shelter in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), since they were driven from their homes in West Lombok in 2006.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Monday, several Ahmadis said they hoped Jokowi's presidency would bring a positive change to their lives after living with uncertainty for eight years, while the previous government dragged its feet on addressing the problem.
'We hope that after the Jokowi-Kalla inauguration, we can have the same basic rights and freedoms enjoyed by other Indonesians. There must be no more discrimination and intimidation. The government should be fair in its treatment of Indonesian citizens, regardless of their faith,' said Syahidin, 52, the coordinator of displaced Ahmadis in Mataram.
Thirty Ahmadiyah families comprising 118 people live at the Wisma Transito shelter. They were forced from their homes in Ketapang, Gegerung village, Lingsar district, West Lombok, at the beginning of 2006.
In Medan, North Sumatra, Jokowi volunteers celebrated the swearing-in of the new President with a thanksgiving ceremony marked by the cutting of a giant tumpeng at the Ade Irma Suryani orphanage.
The 7-meter tumpeng was cut while Jokowi took his oath as President in Jakarta at 10 a.m.
In Bandung, West Java, celebrations and a thanksgiving ceremony were held on the banks of the Cikapundung River.
This celebration was different in that it was hosted by only by six people: fine art practitioners and lecturers from the Bandung Institute of Technology's (ITB) school of art; namely, Tisna Sanjaya, Isa Perkasa, Rahmat Jabaril and Wawan Husin; artist Dodo Abdullah and Gerbong Bawah Tanah activist Eko Agung.
They held the ceremony by placing a tumpeng on a table covered with a white cloth and a red cloth.
They hung a 2 meter by 1 meter canvas that bore the words: 'Thanksgiving for Jokowi as Indonesia's President. Three-finger Greeting', while a Red-and-White flag was flown to accompany the eating of the tumpeng.
Panca Nugraha, Apriadi and Arya Dipa contributed to the story.
