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Jokowi attempts to keep his thunder in Banyumas after Prabowo's visit
Jokowi held his campaign in Banyumas, Central Java, a few days after Prabowo
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Incumbent President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo attends a campaign event in Banyumas, Central Java, on Thursday, April 4, 2019. (JP/Agus Maryono)
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ncumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo attended on Thursday a campaign event at Purwokerto sports stadium in Banyumas regency, Central Java, just days after his challenger Prabowo Subianto held a similar event.
Jokowi attended the event along with religious freedom activist Yenny Wahid, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) executive and Jokowi-Ma’ruf Amin campaign chairman Erick Thohir and other members of the campaign team.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters packed the stadium, including members of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country’s largest Muslim organization. Yenny is a daughter of Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, the late NU leader and former president.
In his speech, Jokowi challenged his supporters to secure an 80 percent victory in Central Java.
“How about it? Can you handle it?” asked Jokowi, which was met with enthusiastic cheers from his supporters.
Jokowi later visited Brebes and Tegal, also in Central Java, on the same day.
Banyumas is one of the strongholds of the PDI-P, Jokowi’s main supporting party.
The Prabowo campaign team has attempted to win over Central Java from the PDI-P and Jokowi, including by moving the team’s headquarters to Surakarta, the hometown of Jokowi and another PDI-P stronghold.
During the fourth presidential debate on Saturday, the former Army general said he was half Banyumas and half Minahasa and called Banyumas people the most outspoken of all Javanese.
“People from Banyumas are like the Batak of Java,” he said.
On the next day, he visited the regency and again reminded residents that he was related to the regency.
