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SBY attends ceremony at State Palace
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Guest of honor: President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (right) shakes hands with former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono before a flag hoisting ceremony to commemorate Independence Day at State Palace in Jakarta on Aug. 17.
(JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
W
earing traditional attire, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo led the flag hoisting ceremony at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday. The event was attended by his predecessors BJ Habibie, Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Yudhoyono, who wore Palembang-South Sumatra attire, and his wife Ani, arrived at the palace at about 9 a.m. and were greeted by several guests. His sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren were also seen among the guests at the palace.
The former president’s attendance at the ceremony is his first since leaving office three years ago.
(Read also: SBY no show during state address, again)
Yudhoyono, who recently criticized several government policies, including the Election Law, which regulates the presidential threshold, did not attend Jokowi’s state of the nation address at the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Wednesday.
His Democratic Party, along with other parties, have demanded eliminating the presidential threshold or vote limitation for a party to nominate candidates in the 2019 presidential election.
