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Jokowi’s hometown pushes for special status
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People use their mobile phones as they sit in front of a graffiti depicting an image of President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo on a street in Surakarta, Central Java, on July 31, 2024. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
A
proposal to reinstate Surakarta’s special designation status has resurfaced, potentially paving the way for the hometown of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to be separated from Central Java, long considered a stronghold of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Aria Bima, a PDI-P politician and the deputy chair of House of Representatives Commission II overseeing home affairs, revealed the idea after a meeting with the Home Ministry last week, saying that Surakarta was among six regions seeking special status.
While details about the origin of the proposal and how Surakarta would be governed under special status remain unclear, the PDI-P has expressed opposition to the idea.
“I question the relevance [of granting Surakarta a special designation]. It is already a city of trade, education and industry. There is no need to make it even more special,” said Aria, a native of Central Java, on Thursday.
Echoing the sentiment, former two-term Surakarta mayor FX Hadi “Rudy” Rudyatmo, who is also a member of the PDI-P, asked in a Kompas TV interview on Friday, what was the point of special status if the city still struggled with poverty and unemployment.
Read also: Analysis: Jokowi takes war against Megawati to Central Java, her home turf
The PDI-P had for years looked to Central Java as its stronghold. But, alarm bells of waning support began to ring last year when the party recorded losses in both the presidential election and subsequent regional contests.
