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Jokowi may celebrate Idul Fitri in Jakarta
In front of thousands of Acehnese at an Idul Fitri celebration two years ago, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said he wanted to become closer with people in regions by directly observing local ways of celebrating the event and vowed to make celebrating Idul Fitri outside of Jakarta a new annual tradition of his presidency
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n front of thousands of Acehnese at an Idul Fitri celebration two years ago, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said he wanted to become closer with people in regions by directly observing local ways of celebrating the event and vowed to make celebrating Idul Fitri outside of Jakarta a new annual tradition of his presidency.
Jokowi has introduced his own tradition of celebrating Idul Fitri outside the capital in the past two years, visiting Aceh during the 2015 festivities and Padang in West Sumatra in the following year.
But, this year, he might take a different course and resume the tradition of his predecessors.
Jokowi plans to perform Eid prayers at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque, just across the corner from the State Palace. Vice President Jusuf Kalla and other Cabinet members are also likely to join him this year.
“Insya Allah [God Willing] the prayer will be at Istiqlal mosque,” Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
However, Pramono refused to explain Jokowi’s decision to resume the old tradition.
Jokowi is also set to visit his hometown in Surakarta after performing the Idul Fitri prayer. He will spend a day or two in the Central Java city before heading back to Jakarta, said presidential spokesman Johan Budi.
Yet, it was unclear whether Jokowi would hold an Idul Fitri gathering, known as an open house, at the State Palace this year as the plan has yet to be finalized.
Open house events are common in the country, with many public officials and public figures throwing such gatherings for their relatives, colleagues and friends.
Last year, after spending a few days in Padang for Idul Fitri, Jokowi returned to his hometown before he held an open house at the Yogyakarta Palace, which is located some 60 kilometers from Surakarta, in his first open house event since he took office.
The open house at the palace was an annual tradition during the leadership of Jokowi’s predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, during which citizens coming to the palace usually received a package containing mementos.
Johan said Jokowi was likely to hold an open house in Jakarta for members of the public immediately after returning from Surakarta as he needed to be in Jakarta to prepare to host former United States president Barrack Obama for lunch at the Bogor Palace on June 30.
Yet, the palace also mulled two other options for an open house: holding it on Sunday before Jokowi flies to Surakarta and limiting it to Cabinet members only, or holding a public open house on the first day of Idul Fitri.
Johan said Jokowi had yet to have any plan to meet with political leaders during the festivities.
But, Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, who is an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician, revealed that Jokowi was likely to pay a visit to PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri at her residence on Jl. Teuku Umar at noon during Idul Fitri.
For politicians, Idul Fitri could mean an opportunity to resolve political deadlocks, including those related to the fate of the election bill, which they have failed to solve in formal settings.
PDI-P’s Hasto Kristiyanto said the party would use the gatherings to approach other parties to gain more support for the 20 to 25 percent presidential threshold as demanded by the government.
“[Idul Fitri] is a good moment for halal bi-halal [gathering] and for us to urge [fellow politicians] to open their minds for the sake of the country,” said Hasto.
