Pspan lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has called on his grassroots supporters to keep the political temperature cool for the remainder of his presidency, moving to consolidate his nonparty political machine as the country enters the final year of his presidency.

As the end of his second and final term draws ever nearer, Jokowi has intensified efforts to rally his network of supporters’ groups, including thousands of die-hard supporters, which helped his meteoric rise to the country’s top post in 2014.

Speaking at a gathering of grassroots supporters calling themselves Alap-Alap Jokowi (Jokowi's falcons) on Saturday in Sentul, West Java, the President called for stability and maintaining a cool political environment.

“I sometimes shake my head [at seeing] people still bickering while their leaders above [them] are already having coffee together,” Jokowi said.

“I ask for the help of all supporters so that supporters’ groups can act as a 'cooling system' to maintain a cool atmosphere at the grass roots," he added.

Jokowi, who is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection next year, has been seeking to influence the hunt for his successor to ensure that his policy programs continue, even after he leaves office in October 2024.

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