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Jokowi flies economy class to attend son's graduation
In what could be seen as another show of modesty, President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo and First Lady Iriana took on Friday an economy-class flight to Singapore to attend the graduation of their youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep
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n what could be seen as another show of modesty, President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and First Lady Iriana took on Friday an economy-class flight to Singapore to attend the graduation of their youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep.
Jokowi and Iriana were accompanied by seven Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) officers when departing from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng on a Garuda Indonesia commercial aircraft at 2:45 p.m., to Singapore's Changi International Airport.
'[The President] will attend the graduation of his son from 7 until 9 p.m. [Friday]. He will return to Jakarta at 10 a.m. on Saturday,' Consul Sukmo Yuwono of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore told The Jakarta Post.
Jokowi and First Lady Iriana have three children: sons Kaesang, 19, and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 27, and daughter Kahiyang Ayu, 23.
Kaesang, who is known for his self-deprecating jokes on social media, completed his international baccalaureate at ACS (International) Singapore.
Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto said Jokowi declined to use the official presidential aircraft given the personal nature of his trip.
Although the President and the First Lady paid their own travel expenses, Andi said the state footed the bill of the Paspampres officers traveling with them.
'The President has the embedded protocol and security detail, which have become the responsibility of the Presidential Secretariat,' he said.
Jokowi, a former Surakarta mayor and Jakarta governor, has become popular partly due to his signature blusukan (impromptu visits) and his modest lifestyle.
Prior to her husband's inauguration as the country's seventh president, Iriana, for example, was never seen wearing or carrying designer items. She purchased most of her dresses from Tanah Abang Market, Southeast Asia's largest textile and clothing market in Central Jakarta.
Instead of taking over Jokowi's established furniture business, Jokowi's eldest child, Gibran, opted to start his own catering business in their hometown of Surakarta, Central Java, soon after earning his Bachelor's degree.
While Jokowi and Iriana prefer living modestly, they are less reluctant to spend more when it comes to their children's education.
Jokowi sent Gibran to study in Singapore and Australia during his high school and undergraduate years.
Kahiyang recently completed her undergraduate degree in food technology at the state-run Sebelas Maret University (UNS) in Surakarta, while Kaesang, like his elder brother, completed high school in Singapore.
Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) investigation coordinator Uchok Sky Khadafi, however, questioned Jokowi's decision to allow the state to bear the cost of taking along an entourage.
'If this continues, taxpayers' money will be spent on his personal protection,' he said.
