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Megawati praises Jokowi's good qualities as leader
Speaking in front of thousands of village heads gathering for the ninth-year commemoration of the Village Law, Megawati said that Jokowi is a "good person" who devoted himself to improving the lives of the people.
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Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan (right), East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa (center) and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri appeared on stage during an event on March 19, 2023. (The Jakarta Post/Kompas TV)
O
ne day after holding a private meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri heaped praise on the incumbent, saying that politicians running for the 2024 presidential election should emulate his good traits.
Speaking in front of hundreds of village heads gathering for the ninth-year commemoration of the 2014 Village Law, Megawati said that Jokowi is a "good person" who devotes himself to improving the lives of the people.
"Vote for a good person, like Pak Jokowi. I picked him [as presidential candidate] simply because I believed he is a good person," Megawati said in her speech. Megawati was joined by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian and East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa during the speech.
Later in her speech, Megawati also urged her supporters to take pity on the President, especially from the fact that he now has a rail-thin stature.
"You all should take pity on him. Look at his body, he is getting thinner now. He's getting a lot of headaches taking care of this country, which is difficult to manage," Megawati said.
Megawati's praise of Jokowi came only one day after she held a private meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta with the President, during which the two senior politicians discussed a number of issues from foreign affairs to preparations for the 2024 general elections.
The relationship between Megawati and Jokowi apparently strained following the former's speech in January this year, in which she insisted that the incumbent President owed his political career to her decision to nominate him in the 2014 presidential election.
