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.
Indonesia hopes for happier Eid
Change Size
Travelers line up to board a roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ship at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta on Thursday. (kompas.com/Kristianto Purnomo)
T
he country is set for a nineday “collective holiday” as Idul Fitri celebrations on Sunday and Monday will see some 19 million people travel to their hometowns, creating a subdued atmosphere in big cities such as Jakarta.
As workers in the capital started hitting the road on Tuesday, resulting in gridlock in several cities in West Java, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has assured the public that celebrations will be merrier this year.
Amid indications that his popularity has started to wane as an impact of the sectarian and racially charged Jakarta gubernatorial election in April, Jokowi appeared in a press conference on Thursday promising the good stuff to come.
First, the President declared a nine-day holiday for the celebration, despite protests from businesses that argued the policy would reduce productivity, as Indonesia already had the highest number of public holidays in the region.
The President went on to announce there would not be an increase in non-subsidized fuel and gas prices following discussion to raise the prices in line with the movement in global oil prices.
“I have assured there will not be an increase in fuel and gas prices in July,” Jokowi said after a Cabinet meeting.
Jokowi also noted the government’s success in stabilizing food prices during Ramadhan -- an effort that has helped maintain the public’s purchasing power and kept many households happy.
