TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Jokowi finds sanctuary, comfort in sleepy hometown
Taking a stroll: President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo (center) and Surakarta mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo (left) walk during the car free day in Surakarta on Sunday
Change Size
T
span class="inline inline-center">Taking a stroll: President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo (center) and Surakarta mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo (left) walk during the car free day in Surakarta on Sunday. Before becoming president, Jokowi was Surakarta's mayor. JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi
The hustle and bustle of the capital city, combined with the stress of leading the country, has President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo returning frequently to recharge his batteries in his comparatively sleepy hometown of Surakarta, Central Java.
Hutomo Hari, known to be a close friend of the President, said the President had yet to adapt to the Jakarta pace of life.
'If Pak Jokowi comes home often, it means he's not yet comfortable in Jakarta. That's how I see it,' he said.
Bagus Aji, Jokowi's neighbor, concurred, but added that Jokowi's frequent visits back to Surakarta were more a function of his strong ties to the city than his inability to cope with Jakarta.
Surakarta, according to Bagus, was not just his hometown, but a home in the truest sense of the word.
'A home will always be missed. That's the way I see Pak Jokowi's [visits home]. Maybe it's also because he does not have relatives or close friends in Jakarta that he keeps coming back to Solo,' he said, referring to Surakarta by its popular nickname.
Another neighbor, Rahayu Budi, said that Jokowi was also coming home to the city to prepare for the wedding of his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, which is scheduled for next month.
Bagus said although the government was handling most of the preparations, Jokowi was still likely to want to play a major role in the wedding planning.
'After all, he is a father, so he wants to directly manage it,' Rahayu said.
Gibran will marry his fiancée, Miss Surakarta Selvi Ananda, on June 11.
A total of 628 security personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the police ' in coordination with the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) ' will be deployed to safeguard the event.
Many top state officials are expected to attend the wedding in the town Jokowi presided over as mayor for seven years from 2005 to 2012.
The VIPs will be provided with 300 becak (pedicabs) to drive them from parking lots to the Graha Saba Buana venue where the wedding will be held. The Graha Saba Buana venue is owned by the Jokowi family.
To maintain security, the road in front of the venue will be closed on the day of the wedding.
Rahayu Budi said that from the start, Jokowi had said his first son's wedding was a personal matter and not a matter of state. Therefore, it was normal for his trips home to have become more frequent in recent months.
According to personnel from the Surakarta Police, since being elected President in 2014, Jokowi has returned to Solo a total of 14 times to attend to both state and personal matters.
Jokowi has returned home to Surakarta twice this month, and on one of the two occasions spent a full three days in the city.
