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Indonesian diaspora in Europe engage in presidential election
Europe is also a battleground for Jokowi and Prabowo, who will face each other for the presidential seat during the 2019 election.
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Meeting up: Speakers at the Jokowi-Amin gathering in Rijswijk (from second left to right): Okky Asokawati, Budiman Sudjatmiko, Tsamara Amany Alatas, Andy Widjojanto and Ruhut Sitompul. (-/Linawati Sidarto)
T
he upcoming presidential election, which will be a rematch pitting President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo against Prabowo Subianto, is not only polarizing at home but abroad in faraway lands as well.
Never before have Indonesians in Europe been so energized in supporting their candidates ahead of the presidential elections.
Some 1,400 Indonesians, for example, came from dozens of European countries to the Netherlands to show their support for Jokowi, whose main political coalition is led by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
They came to attend an event called “Mass Gathering of #01 Volunteers in Europe at the Grand Slam Event Plaza in Rijswijk, a town near The Hague. The number 01 represents Jokowi’s official ballot number in the election.
The event was the culmination of numerous get-togethers by dozens of pro-Jokowi groups scattered in some 28 European countries
“Many more people wanted to come, but we regretfully had to say ‘no’ to them due the room’s capacity,” event coordinator Evelyn Silitonga said.
Evelyn, who heads the Wadyabala Jokowi Movement (GWJ) volunteer group in the Netherlands, said that the idea for the event came during the fall of last year and the committee started contacting potential speakers, who are popular among supporters, such as PDI-P politician and legislator Budiman Sudjatmiko.
