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Jokowi wears traditional Chinese attire for New Year celebration
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has once again drawn public attention for his famously unconventional sense of fashion as he attended the 2020 National Chinese New Year Celebration at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in South Tangerang on Thursday while wearing a red cheongsam, a type of feminine traditional Chinese dress.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo addresses the 2020 National Chinese New Year Celebration at Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in South Tangerang on Thursday. (Setpres/Muchlis Jr)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has once again drawn public attention for his famously unconventional sense of fashion as he attended the 2020 National Chinese New Year Celebration at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in South Tangerang on Thursday.
Jokowi arrived at the venue at around 9 a.m. wearing traditional Chinese attire. He was seen greeting guests and members of the public before taking a seat in the auditorium.
As reported by kompas.com, other state officials, including Coordinating Human Development Minister Muhadjir Effendy and State Secretary Pratikno, also appeared to be dressed in traditional Chinese clothing for the occasion.
“I’m happy that I’m wearing this dress this morning. The head of the event committee is wearing traditional Javanese attire – quite a [cultural] exchange,” Jokowi said in jest, referring to National Chinese New Year Celebration committee head Gandi Sulistyanto, who was dressed in a beskap (formal Javanese suit) and blangkon (traditional Javanese hat).
He then called on fellow guests to view such a choice of clothing as a testament to Indonesia’s state motto of unity in diversity.
“We are diverse. We consist of over 714 tribes with more than 1,100 regional languages. There’s no other country quite as diverse as Indonesia. We must be grateful for this; that despite our differences, we are still brothers and sisters living together in Indonesia,” Jokowi addressed the public.
Renowned Indonesian fashion designer Anne Avantie revealed on her Instagram account that she had designed Jokowi’s Chinese attire.
“I am very proud to present my work to the honorable President Joko Widodo for the National Chinese New Year Celebration,” she wrote in an Instagram post, alongside a video clip of Jokowi wearing the traditional red dress at the event. (rfa)
