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On Facebook, Indonesians tell Jokowi about their hopes for the nation
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (President Joko Widodo's YouTube/File)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo recently held an open debate for nearly 7 million followers on Facebook asking them one simple but crucial question: what do you think Indonesia, as a developed nation, would look like?
Jokowi put up prizes of 10 bicycles for the 10 most interesting answers to the challenge he called #SepedaJokowi (Jokowi Bicycles), which was open for six days from March 19 to 24. Unsurprisingly it went viral and received more than 130,000 responses, one of the most popular posts the president has ever made.
Their answers were interesting, too. The majority of the more than 80,000 responses that could be verified, said the citizens of a developed Indonesia would have better behavior, the President’s office said in a statement on Saturday.
Most of the answers, about 18 percent, said Indonesian people respecting each other’s differences would be the most important feature if Indonesia was to become a developed country. The answer was followed by a corruption-free government and better education in second and third places, with each accounting for 17 percent.
“Indonesia would be a developed country if its citizens respected each other’s beliefs in peace, fairness and prosperity. Government officials were free from corruption and politics were clean,” Jusril Junardi responded to the Facebook post.
“A developed country has citizens who respect the rule of law, respect each other’s differences and are educated, disciplined and just,” said another respondent Pratomo Wibisono.
The President’s office has not announced who among the 80,000 people who commented and who could be verified would be the 10 winners. (wit)
