“We are brothers and sisters of one country and one nation. Thus, we should not continue to besmirch, find fault in and defame one another. We should become a hard-working nation that is optimistic and productive,” said Jokowi.

The President further said that all Indonesian people should protect the pride of the nation. “Therefore, we greatly need Indonesians who are independent, honest, liberated and can uphold justice so there will be no gap between the rich and poor, because our common enemy is corruption,” said Jokowi.

Thousands of Christians joined the 2016 National Christmas celebration attended by Jokowi and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo in Tondano, Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi, on Tuesday. Held at Wale Ne Tou Building in Tondano, the Christmas celebration started at around 12:30 p.m. local time.

Before attending the national Christmas celebration, the President inaugurated three new geothermal power plants (PLTP) collectively worth Rp 6.18 trillion (US$532.07 million) belonging to state oil and gas firm Pertamina. The projects comprise PLTP Lahendong unit 5 and 6 with a capacity of 2 x 20 Megawatts (MW) in Tompaso, North Sulawesi, and PLTP Ulubeli unit 3 with a capacity of 1 x 55 MW in Tanggamus, Lampung. Completed earlier than scheduled, it is hoped that the new power plants will help the government expand electricity services in their respective areas.

President Jokowi attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the three projects held in Kamojang, West Java, on July 15, 2015. (ebf)

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