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Indonesia needs servant leaders like Jokowi
Only through sincere regular meetings with the people will local leaders know precisely the real conundrums faced, and then be able to orchestrate all stakeholders in overcoming the issues.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo rides on a custom motorbike when inspecting the new international circuit in Mandalika, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara on Jan. 13, 2022. (Antara/Ahmad Subaidi)
Recently, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited Ende regency in East Nusa Tenggara to celebrate the birth of Pancasila, the philosophical foundation of Indonesia.
Although this was a typically formal and ceremonial activity, Jokowi had gone the extra mile. He expanded and deepened the meaning of this celebration with speeches, gestures and actions that truly bring the values of Pancasila down to earth. His genuine humbleness of heart in greeting and having short but candid conversations with some residents not only showed that Jokowi is a Pancasilaist (an individual who implements the values of Pancasila in his/her daily life) but also a servant leader.
As a servant leader Jokowi, who turned 61 on Tuesday, does not hide himself as a president behind the security protocols that could separate him from the people. Of course, his eagerness to meet the people directly often times gives the presidential detail a headache. However, at a certain point, it could be said that for this humble president, the value of meeting the people is much more precious than safety and security issues.
Jokowi has shown his servant leader qualities since he was the mayor of Surakarta in Central Java and the governor of Jakarta. His approaches and programs clearly showed his sincerity and seriousness in overcoming thorny public issues faced by residents of Surakarta.
In solving each public issue, Jokowi always puts the public interest first before other interests. For instance, he defended the existence of an old sugar cane factory that would be demolished to pave the way for a shopping mall, with approval of the governor of Central Java at that time. This shows Jokowi’s partiality to the ordinary people and small and medium traders that would lose their incomes if the shopping mall was built.
The example above obviously demonstrates Jokowi’s sensitivity and responsiveness in serving the people. Sensitivity and responsiveness are the true characteristics of the servant leader. Sensitivity is the ability of a leader to know by himself what kind of issues are faced by followers and then properly solve them before individuals and communities ask.
