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Jakarta gears up for inauguration
High alert: Police vehicles equipped with tear gas guns are seen at the House of Representatives/People’s Consultative Assembly compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, ahead of the inauguration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and vice president-elect Ma’ruf Amin on Sunday
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H
igh alert: Police vehicles equipped with tear gas guns are seen at the House of Representatives/People’s Consultative Assembly compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, ahead of the inauguration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and vice president-elect Ma’ruf Amin on Sunday. Some 30,000 security personnel will be deployed on the inauguration day.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will officially begin his second term this Sunday, and the inauguration ceremony promises to be a global affair. Several world leaders are expected to attend, including from ASEAN countries, Australia, China and the United States.
Presidential Secretariat head Heru Budi Hartono told journalists at the State Palace on Thursday that preparations were underway to welcome dignitaries who had confirmed their attendance.
“[Confirmed] heads of state include those from Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Singapore [and] Australia. Probably from Vietnam and Myanmar too,” he said.
China is expected to be represented by Vice President Wang Qishan and Vietnam by Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, Heru said, and Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan is also likely to attend.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte are also confirmed guests, with Lee attending Jokowi’s inauguration for a second time.
The US and Laos, meanwhile, were expected to send special representatives to partake in the occasion, Heru added.
The US Embassy in Jakarta announced on its website that Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao would lead a presidential delegation to attend Jokowi’s inauguration this Sunday.
US Vice President Mike Pence was the highest-ranking honorary guest from the US to come during a visit to Indonesia in 2017, where he attended dialogues with interfaith leaders and met with the ASEAN secretary-general at the time to commemorate 40 years of US-ASEAN relations.
Australian media have reported that Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to come on Sunday for two days, his second visit to Indonesia in just over a year.
“Morrison's visit continues the curious diplomatic tradition of Australian prime ministers effectively inviting themselves to the inauguration of Indonesian presidents,” The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that President Xi Jinping had assigned Vice President Wang Qishan to represent him at the ceremony, marking his second visit to Jakarta.
"At the invitation of the Indonesian government, Vice President Wang Qishan will become a special envoy of President Xi to attend the inauguration of President Joko Widodo in Jakarta on Oct. 20," spokesperson Geng Shuang was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has announced that Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min would attend the inauguration ceremony as a special envoy, Yonhap reported on Monday.
“During the event slated for Sunday, Noh is expected to deliver a letter from President Moon Jae-in highlighting the importance of the Special Strategic Partnership the two countries have forged and a commitment to further promoting bilateral relations,” the ministry said in a press statement quoted by the South Korean news outlet.
“The dispatch of the chief of staff to the President as special envoy [...] symbolizes growing ties [and] exchanges of cooperation between the two peoples as well,” Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Kim Chang-beom recently said in a statement to The Jakarta Post.
According to Heru, the foreign dignitaries are to be ferried to and from the location of the ceremony using 18 Mercedes-Benz automobiles as requested by the Foreign Ministry.
“For security purposes, they will be backed by the President’s security detail [Paspampres] from [Soekarno-Hatta or Halim Perdanakusuma] airports,” he said.
Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said there would be a larger deployment of Paspampres than usual. Security will be tight for the VVIP guests, and the former Army general has suggested that the public respect the proceedings by not staging any demonstrations on the day.
As is customary, President Jokowi is also scheduled to receive courtesy calls from world leaders on the day of the inauguration. “It is possible to hold two [sessions of] courtesy calls — before and after,” Heru said.
Ahead of his inauguration, many are curious about what the future Cabinet will look like.
Jokowi said on Thursday through his Instagram account that the structure of the second-term Cabinet was ready and that he would announce it after the inauguration.
“Who will help me in the next administration? Please be patient. Indonesia is never lacking in great people that can lead government institutions and are willing to serve this country,” he said.
“It is not that hard to find all of them.” (tjs)
— Marguerite Afra Sapiie contributed to the story.
