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Commentary: Presidential bow, powerful symbol of a servant-leader

This year’s Independence Day anniversary will be best remembered for the symbols conveyed from the President’s office

Endy M. Bayuni (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, August 19, 2017

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Commentary: Presidential bow, powerful symbol of a servant-leader

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his year’s Independence Day anniversary will be best remembered for the symbols conveyed from the President’s office. Forget the speeches, neither the state-of-the-nation nor the 2018 budget plan was memorable or inspiring.

But President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo enlivened the nation’s 72nd anniversary by appearing in different traditional Indonesian outfits, first at the House of Representatives building for the two speeches on Wednesday, and during official ceremonies at the State Palace on Thursday.

He even asked his guests to don traditional attire from a variety Indonesia’s diverse ethnic groups, with the official invitation stating in small print that the dress code was traditional attire.

The best part was when Jokowi convened for a photo-op with three of his predecessors and the current and past vice presidents, and their spouses. The theme of unity and diversity is best symbolized by the appearance of the nation’s present and past leaders together, each one in colorful garb representing a sample of the various ethnic groups in the country.

It was a powerful symbol to convey when the nation’s unity and diversity have been shaken by the events of recent years. Most newspapers went with this photo on their front page on Friday, although it had already gone viral the previous day on social media.

Slightly lost however was the symbolism and the message of the unusual presidential bow.

Jokowi bowed fully before the People’s Consultative Assembly Speaker Hassan Zulkifli, as he took the podium to deliver the first of two speeches on Wednesday.

There was some commotion on social media about the appropriateness of that bow, but the issue quickly disappeared and was overtaken by the debate about whether or not it was proper for the President to appear in traditional Bugis garb when addressing the nation, effectively eschewing the business suit and tie that most of his hosts, members of the House, wore.

Bowing is not an Indonesian tradition, and rarely if at all, do we find our presidents making a bow, certainly not of the kind that Jokowi made at the House building.

It was not a slight lowering of the head, which is the Indonesian way of showing respect. It was not a 30- or 45-degree bow that Japanese make in greeting one another. Jokowi bowed almost a full 90 degrees, and stayed a good few seconds, raising eyebrows among those watching at the hall and at home from televised newscasts. Not the least the Assembly speaker himself was taken by surprise by the gesture, and he smiled and nodded his head.

Jokowi bent so low that it was the kind of bow only servants make before their masters.

But that is precisely the message that he was conveying.

In state protocol, the President and the Assembly speaker are equal. One could say that the President is higher if only by his official car license plate RI1. But on Wednesday, Jokowi bowed not before the individual person before him. On that occassion, Zulkifli symbolized the people of the nation, all 250 million or so of them.

The state-of-the-nation address is a statement of accountability by his government over the past year and Jokowi made the right gesture in presenting himself as the servant of the nation.

One of the President’s known characteristics is his humility, one reason why more than half of the people voted him into office in 2014. But now we have learned that he is more than simply humble. He lowered himself before the people to say, symbolically, that he is here to serve them.

This is a type of leadership uncommon in Indonesia, where a leader is most often equated with a ruler, someone who governs. In a nation still steeped in Javanese feudalism and court and palace traditions, the ruler expects reverence and even tribute from his subjects.

Jokowi is leading the example of a servant-leader, one who puts the interests of his people ahead of his own. One could only wish that all leaders in all walks of life, whether in government, in the corporate world or in private organizations, were a little more like him.

Admittedly, time will tell whether Jokowi has lived up to this symbolism.

Bowing may not be an Indonesian tradition, certainly not in the way our leaders have run the government in the past, but it does not mean one cannot start a new tradition.

BJ Habibie, president from 1998 to 1999, started the tradition, taken from the Middle East, of greeting his male guests with two kisses on the cheek. This practice has become an Indonesian tradition.

Bowing in a sense is Islamic, as Muslims bow as part of their prayers to show that they are truly the servants of their Creator. They also prostrate themselves to further express their complete submission. But our leaders do not have to go that far in serving the people. Just a full 90-degree bow will suffice.

Let’s all take a bow to our most honorable servant.
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The writer is editor-in-chief of The Jakarta Post

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