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Bicycles not gift for Jokowi, presidential office clarifies
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Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko (left) receives a donation of 15 custom-made folding bikes to commemorate this year’s Youth Pledge Day from Damn! I Love Indonesia founder Daniel Mananta (Center) and PT Roda Maju Bahagia CEO Hendra (right) at the Executive Office of the President's building in Central Jakarta on Tuesday. (Courtesy of the Executive Office of the President/via kompas.com)
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larifying its own previous statement, the Executive Office of the President has said that folding bicycles recently given to the office are not intended as a gift for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said that Daniel Mananta, former TV personality and Damn! I Love Indonesia founder, and Hendra, the CEO of PT Roda Maju Bahagia that owns the local bicycle brand Element, had given the office 15 custom-made folding bikes to commemorate this year’s Youth Pledge Day.
Previous reports and a statement issued by the office suggested that the bikes, which retail at around Rp 5 million (US$340) each, were a gift personally intended for the President.
“The bikes were not at all intended [as a gift] for Jokowi. The President was shocked and had nothing to do with this,” Moeldoko said at Wednesday’s press conference. “They were for the Executive Office of the President, not for Jokowi.”
He admitted that the previous statement released by the office contained a "redaction error" and "misunderstanding".
Moeldoko went on to say that the office wanted to endorse the limited-edition bikes to boost the product’s popularity among locals and increase interest in domestic products.
Earlier, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) urged that the gift be reported as a gratuity if it were personally intended for Jokowi. Daniel confirmed in the conference that the bikes were not a gift for the President or Moeldoko, but for the Executive Office of the President.
Moeldoko also said that he had discussed the matter with the KPK’s director for gratuities, Syarief Hidayat, to confirm that the handout did not need to be reported as it was intended for an institution.
The Executive Office of the President, said Moeldoko, would not use the bikes. “They will be given to kids or [citizens in] the country's regions. They can hold competitions for young people and use the bikes as the prizes,” he added.
