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"If I could choose, I would want to be the President's son:" VP Ma'ruf Amin
Ma’ruf made the statement during an off-the-cuff speech for an Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) gathering in Bangka Belitung the day after the Supreme Court approved regulatory changes to the age of candidates in regional elections, which analysts said could pave the way for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's 29-year-old son Kaesang Pangarep to run in upcoming Jakarta elections.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (left) is accompanied by Vice President Ma'ruf Amin (right) when talking to the press at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on March 4, 2024, before the President's departure to Melbourne to attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, Australa. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
V
ice President Ma'ruf Amin launched a veiled criticism of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's habit of doling out privileges to members of his family over the weekend, saying that if he could be born a second time, he would choose to be the son of a sitting president.
Ma’ruf made the statement during an off-the-cuff speech for an Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) gathering in Bangka Belitung the day after the Supreme Court approved regulatory changes to the age of candidates in regional elections, which analysts said could pave the way for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's 29-year-old son Kaesang Pangarep to run in upcoming Jakarta elections.
"One can't choose who their father or mother is. If I could choose, I would want to be born as the son of the President," Ma'ruf told the gathering.
Ma'ruf told stories about his long political journey toward eventually being picked as vice president by President Jokowi, who was then running for reelection.
The surprise Supreme Court ruling came as Kaesang has been promoted as a potential candidate for deputy governor of Jakarta, where regional elections will be held this November.
Kaesang, best known for his fried banana business and recent appointment as head of the Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI), does not turn 30 until December.
