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Locals say activities at Esemka car factory 'just started'
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Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is pictured on Jan. 2, 2012 as the then-Surakarta mayor promoting a locally designed sports utility vehicle as his "official car". The Esemka, developed by students of a vocational school in Surakarta, East Java, has recently raised controversy among opposition parties as a move to increase Jokowi's electability for his 2019 reelection bid. (kompas/File)
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ozens of pickup trucks were seen parked last Friday at a factory belonging to PT Solo Manufaktur Kreasi in Bayolali regency, Central Java, the reported producer of the Esemka cars developed in 2012 by a vocational school (SMK) in Surakarta.
Then-Surakarta mayor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had even promoted it at the time as his official car.
According to witnesses, the factory in Demangan subdistrict, Sambi district, Boyolali, only started operating a few months ago.
The Esemka car again came to public light when Jokowi’s running mate, Ma’ruf Amin, recently said that mass production of the vehicles would start in October. The announcement raised controversy among opposition parties, coming so soon ahead of the 2019 presidential election.
President Jokowi later stressed on his Instagram account @jokowi on Oct. 25 that the government was not involved in the production of the cars, and that the automotive industry was fully responsible for developing the cars.
On last Friday, security officers prohibited journalists from accessing the area, even preventing them from taking photographs of the factory.
The factory stands on a 14-hectare plot belonging to the Demangan subdistrict administration under a 30-year lease.
“I know nothing about the factory,” said subdistrict head Wijiyanto, who visited the factory twice.
Sukiyat, a businessman who sponsored the Esemka car, said he was also uninvolved in the vehicle's production in Boyolali. He also called on people not to blame President Jokowi or himself, saying that “the moment for the Esemka has passed”.
“I am now focusing on the Mahesa rural vehicle. I want the rural people to improve their productivity,” he said. (bbn)
