T

his week we began to become attuned to having a leader who looks petite compared with the more presidential stature of his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Nearing the end of the week, the former furniture businessman-turned-mayor-and-governor was looking even less presidential as he walked up and down the Palace lawn, announcing something without substance: Nope, no Cabinet yet. Reporters were even escorted on a bus to the Tanjung Priok harbor for a scheduled announcement about the installment of ministers, but were only greeted by '€œmosquitos,'€ as one grumbled. By early Saturday it appeared President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo might change his mind, judging from uncertain reports, opening the door wide for a barrage of criticism for wasting a reported Rp 500 million (US$41,322) on the planned ceremony at the port.

Yet we have never before had ministerial candidates scrutinized by the antigraft body and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), so hopefully the President will get a clean Cabinet, despite a bit of compromise with those breathing down his neck.

The introduction to the First Family was like a fresh breeze amid all the worries about how far he will compromise. The First Lady in particular unfortunately provides an object for people seeking a symbol, whether in a kingdom or a republic. A report that came out before the presidential inauguration on Oct. 20 questioned why Mufidah Kalla, wife of Vice President Jusuf Kalla, consistently wears a jilbab while Iriana Widodo does not. It was complete with one picture of the latter in a headscarf and another of her in her usual bare-headed style. Many others seem very happy with the overall message of her wardrobe and that of her husband, since they represent a far simpler and less costly lifestyle.

Following the classic Javanese style on inauguration day of wearing an '€œold kebaya'€, as she called it, she appeared too underdressed the next day when she appeared at the Palace in a white untucked shirt, just like Jokowi. It didn'€™t look like Iriana was emulating Hollywood actor Sharon Stone, who once famously showed up in her husband'€™s shirt at the Oscars.

The early reports on the First Family stood in stark contrast to earlier images of the new female lawmakers who were sworn in wearing garments fit for a costume parade. Their message promoting a simple lifestyle also contradicted reports about the budget of Riau province, which allocated new vehicles for new lawmakers and earned them instant condemnation. Riau is an oil-rich area with many poor households.

Youngsters were not so obsessed with the Cabinet; the First Children were more interesting for their intriguing Javanese names and relatively non-elite, '€œnice kid'€ backgrounds. Daughter Kahiyang Ayu, a graduate in food sciences, struggled to reach the examination venue for a job as a civil servant in her hometown of Surakarta, getting a taste of being in the middle of bodyguards and a press mob during that and while she was under the spotlight afterward when her test results fell short of expectations. Eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka was said to be busy with his catering business and girls were agog at the tweets of the youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, whose hobby is to work out at the gym, and the uploaded images of his '€œrestless muscles'€, as one commentator described them.

Another signal from the President became apparent during his meetings with neighboring heads of state who came to congratulate him.

For those who felt stressed over his English abilities, he showed off what looked from afar to be a decent conversation with guests he had met for the first time. Malaysia'€™s Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak took a selfie with Jokowi and Australia'€™s Tony Abbott nodded to clicking cameras but apparently had no conversation with the President in the first minutes. It was surely awkward, but maybe Jokowi was demonstrating to the domestic audience that he could have friendly introductory meetings with neighboring leaders with whom we share prickly issues over border problems, extradition and boat people.

And while people fretted about his appearance with the chiefs of the Indonesian Military (TNI) while everyone was waiting for news of the Cabinet, he might have simply been revealing that the chiefs of staff had met with their new lean Commander-in-Chief in the white shirt. He assured them of his concern about improving the welfare of soldiers and the quality of their equipment, which would be a continuation of Yudhoyono'€™s policy.

Some reports this week reflected a few of Jokowi'€™s challenges. In Jayapura, two French journalists, Thomas Charles Dandois and Marie Valentine Bourrat, were charged with abusing their tourist visas by conducting journalistic activities, which violated the immigration law. They wouldn'€™t be the first and won'€™t be the last if indeed they are found guilty. As the international and national press continues to ask, what is the government hiding in Papua, especially from foreign journalists and researchers? This latest '€œtrespassing'€ by foreign reporters was challenged with an old official excuse: the foreign press could be helping '€œforeign elements'€ to strengthen the Free Papua Movement, officials have said.

This sounded similar to the reasons given for earlier closing the regions of Aceh and the former East Timor, where the press could go unescorted only since 1999. We found out the hard way that this policy did not do anything to overcome aspirations of freedom.

'€” Ati Nurbaiti