Joko Widodo President of Indonesia Democratic Party
Joko Widodo DK (Javanese: ꦗꦑ꧈ꦮꦶꦢꦢ[1] Gêdrìk: Jåkå Widådå; O-Javanese: Jaka Widada; born 21 June 1961), an Indonesian politician and former businessman, is the current President of Indonesia. He is universally known in Indonesia as Jokowi. He was the mayor of Surakarta before becoming the governor of Jakarta.
Jokowi was nominated by his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle(PDI-P), to run in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election with Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (often known as Ahok) as his running mate.[2] Jokowi was elected governor of Jakarta on 20 September 2012 after a second round runoff election in which he defeated the incumbent governor Fauzi Bowo.[3] Jokowi's win was widely seen as reflecting popular voter support for "new" or "clean" leaders rather than the "old" style of politics in Indonesia.[4]
Jokowi's popularity across Indonesia rose sharply following his election to the high-profile position of governor of Jakarta. During 2013 and early 2014 he was increasingly seen as a potential PDI-P candidate for the Indonesian presidential election in 2014. His nomination was announced on 14 March 2014.[5]
The presidential election was held on 9 July. After some controversy about the result of the election, Jokowi was named as president-elect on 22 July 2014. He was formally declared as the winner of the election by the General Elections Commission (Komisi Pemilihan Umum or KPU), winning more than 53% of the vote over his opponent, Prabowo Subianto, who disputed the outcome and withdrew from the race before the count was completed.[6]
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[hide]Early life and education[edit]
Joko Widodo is of Javanese descent. Before changing his name (changes of name are not unusual in Java), Joko Widodo was called Mulyono.[7] His father came from Karanganyar, his grandparents came from a village in Boyolali.[8]His education started in State Primary School 111, Tirtoyoso, known for being a school for less wealthy citizens.[9]
Due to financial difficulties in his childhood, he had to work his way through primary school to earn enough money for school materials and pocket money. At twelve, he started working in his father's furniture workshop.[10][11] The evictions he experienced three times in his childhood affected his way of thinking and his leadership later on as the mayor of Surakarta (Solo) as he organised housing in the city.[12]
After primary school, he continued his studies in SMP Negeri 1 Surakarta (middle school).[13] He had wanted to continue his education in SMA Negeri 1 Surakarta (high school), but he failed the entrance exam and went to SMA Negeri 6 Surakarta instead.[14]
He continued his education in the Forestry Faculty of Gadjah Mada University. He made use of this chance to study the structure of wood, its utilisation, and its technology. He completed his degree with the thesis called: "Study on Plywood Consumption in Final Consumption in Surakarta municipality".
After his graduation in 1985, he worked for BUMN PT Kertas Kraft Aceh and was placed in Pinus merkusii forest plantation at Gayo Highlands, Aceh Tengah Regency. Nevertheless, he didn't feel at home and went home to his wife, who was seven months pregnant. He was determined to work with wood in his uncle Miyono's business named CV Roda Jati. In 1988, he started his own business under the name of CV Rakabu, referring to his first child (Rakabuming). The business was quite successful; however due to fraud, it had problems and was closed. In 1990, he tried again with money (Rp 30,000,000, around $16,000) borrowed from his mother.[15]
Political career[edit]
Mayor of Surakarta[edit]
When he first ran for the office of mayor of Surakarta, many doubted the ability of a man who had worked as a property and furniture businessman; however, after a year in office Jokowi had successfully led many progressive breakthroughs which became widely praised nationally. One academic paper claimed his leadership style was successful because it established an interactional relationship with the people of Solo, through which he was able to induce people's strong faith in him.[16] He adopted the development framework of European cities (which he frequently traveled to as a businessman) into his own city of Surakarta.[17]
Highlights of Jokowi's approach during the seven years that he was mayor of Surakarta include the following:[18]
- Building new traditional markets – including an antiques market and a home appliances market
- Constructing a 7-km city walk with a 3-meter wide pedestrian walkway along Surakarta's main street
- Revitalizing the Balekambang and Sriwedari parks
- Stricter regulations on cutting down trees along the city's main streets
- Rebranding Surakarta as a center of Javanese culture and tourism under the tagline "The Spirit of Java"
- Promoting the city as a center for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE)
- The blusukan culture, the manner in which Jokowi made impromptu visits to certain areas to hear directly from the people their needs and criticisms
- Prohibiting his family members from bidding for city projects
- Healthcare insurance program for all residents
- Public transportation in the form of double-decker buses and the railbus
- Solo Techno Park, which helped support the Esemka Indonesian car project[19]
His supporters pointed to rapid positive changes in Surakarta under his leadership. Branding the city with the motto "Solo: The Spirit of Java" was seen as a successful move. While in office he was able to relocate junk dealers in the BanjarsariGardens smoothly, a move which was helpful in revitalizing the functions of the open green land; he emphasized the importance of business firms engaging in community activities; he improved communications with the local community (appearing regularly on local television). Jokowi also did not hesitate to dismiss investors who do not agree with the principles of his leadership. As a follow-up of the new branding of Surakarta, he applied for Surakarta to become a member of the Organization of World Heritage Cities, which was approved in 2006, and subsequently had Surakarta chosen to host the organization's conference in October 2008. In 2007, Surakarta had also hosted the World Music Festival (Festival Musik Dunia/FMD) which was held at the Fort Vastenburg Complex (it is worth noting that Fort Vastenburg was to be bulldozed and replaced by a business center and shopping malls before Jokowi vetoed the decision). The FMD in 2008 was held in the Mangkunegaran Palace Complex.
Family[edit]
Joko Widodo is the eldest son of Noto Mihardjo and Sudjiatmi Notomihardjo. He has three younger sisters, named Iit Sriyantini, Ida Yati and Titik Relawati.
He and his wife, Iriana, have three children. Gibran Rakabuming Raka (male, born 1 October 1988) has a catering and wedding-planning business in Surakarta; he has studied abroad in Sydney and Singapore (at the Management Development Institute of Singapore, MDIS). Kahiyang Ayu (female) was born in 1991; she has recently completed an undergraduate degree in food technology at the state-run Sebelas Maret University in Surakarta. Kaesang Pangarep (male) was born on 25 December 1994 and like his elder brother completed his high school years in ACS International, Singapore.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joko_Widodo
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