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I will keep wearing sarong if I win election: Ma’ruf
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and running mate Ma'ruf Amin pose for a photograph after registering their ticket for the 2019 presidential election on Aug. 10 at the General Elections Commission (KPU). Ma'ruf wore a sarong for the occasion. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
V
ice presidential candidate Ma'ruf Amin has said he would maintain his penchant for santri-like fashion by regularly wearing the sarong should he be elected in 2019.
Santri are students of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) who traditionally wear sarongs almost every day.
Ma’ruf, the nonactive leader of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), made the statement in front of hundreds of students of Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, East Java, on Monday.
"God willing, I will keep wearing the sarong, which reflects the identity of pesantren. I will become the first vice president to wear the sarong," Ma'ruf said as quoted by tempo.co.
Ma’ruf is running in the 2019 election as the vice presidential candidate to incumbent President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who is also known for embracing traditional attire.
Jokowi has worn the sarong on several occasions, including when he celebrated New Year’s Eve 2017 at the Bogor Palace to immediately steal the social media spotlight.
Ma’ruf's visit to Lirboyo was reportedly part of his tour to a number of Islamic boarding schools across East Java. The official campaign period for the election starts on Sept. 23. (kuk/ipa)
