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Jokowi joins G20 e-summit after mother laid to rest
Last farewell: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) stands next to a coffin carried by members of the Presidential Security Detail during the funeral of his mother Sudjiatmi Notomihardjo in Surakarta, Central Java on Thursday
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ast farewell: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) stands next to a coffin carried by members of the Presidential Security Detail during the funeral of his mother Sudjiatmi Notomihardjo in Surakarta, Central Java on Thursday.(Courtesy of Presidential Palace/Agus Suparto)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his family gathered on Thursday to pay their final respects to Jokowi’s late mother, Sudjiatmi Notomihardjo, who was laid to rest at family cemetery in Mundu, Gondangrejo district, Karanganyar, Central Java.
Despite being bereaved, Jokowi participated in a video-conference summit with Group of 20 leaders on Thursday evening from Bogor Palace, West Java.
The burial took place at 1:18 p.m., after the President held a funeral prayer in Surakarta, his hometown and the city where his mother had lived.
Sudjiatmi, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 77 after a four-year battle with throat cancer, was buried next to her husband, Widjiatno Notomihardjo.
As the funeral took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the family had arranged it to comply with physical distancing measures.
They allowed only 500 people to attend the funeral, consisting of state officials, relatives and public figures. Chairs for the attendees were placed 1 meter apart.
A number of prominent figures, including East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, People’s Consultative Assembly Speaker Bambang Soesatyo and Regional Representatives Council Speaker La Nyalla Mattalitti attended the funeral
Personnel from the Indonesian Military, the National Police, journalists and members of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) were also present.
The attendees were required to undergo health screenings, including temperature checks, and were sprayed with disinfectant before entering the cemetery. They were also given masks to be worn at the burial ground.
During the funeral, Jokowi was accompanied by his eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The First Family left the cemetery at 1:50 p.m. without giving an official statement.
Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said Jokowi’s family members had asked people to pray for Sudjiatmi from afar to avoid mass gatherings during the pandemic.
The public appears to have followed the order as no public gatherings were seen at the burial ground or at the family’s home.
“The President’s family would be glad if the public could pray for his mother from home,” Ganjar said.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD also said that Jokowi had asked him and other Cabinet ministers not to attend the funeral and to instead focus on their duties in Jakarta. Therefore, he and fellow ministers decided to perform a ghaib (prayer for the deceased) from afar.
“The President remains steadfast and keeps thinking about work, especially issues related to the handling of COVID-19,” Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung told reporters in a text message on Thursday.
He and State Secretary Pratikno accompanied the President in his hometown of Surakarta, Central Java, until 11 p.m. They were the only two ministers to join Jokowi in Surakarta after the news broke that the President’s mother died on Wednesday.
Other state officials refrained from visiting Surakarta and expressed their condolences from afar because of the COVID-19 pandemic, over which Surakarta had declared an “extraordinary occurrence” status.
The G20 summit was led by current chairman and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and focused on measures to stave off a global economic recession and on the social impact of the disease. The summit started at 7 p.m. Jakarta time.
Representatives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Health Organization, also joined the online meeting.
Salman said that the G20 fully supported the WHO in coordinating the efforts to counter the pandemic.
“To complement these efforts, the G20 must assume the responsibility of reinforcing cooperation in financing research and development for therapeutics and a vaccine for COVID-19 and ensure the availability of vital medical supplies and equipment,” he said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post.
“On the trade front, the G20 must send a strong signal to restore confidence in the global economy by resuming, as soon as possible, the normal flow of goods and services, especially vital medical supplies,” he added.
Salman also said that it was the G20’s responsibility to extend a helping hand to developing countries and least developed countries to enable them to build their capacities and improve their infrastructure to overcome the crisis and its repercussions.
