May 17, 2024
JAKARTA – From inaugurating infrastructure projects to cycling with Jakartans, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appears to be spending the last months of his term on trips to many corners of the country, a move experts see as the outgoing leader’s efforts to maintain popularity after he leaves office in October.
This week, the President inaugurated a new water facility, the Ameroro Dam, in Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi, the country’s 40th national strategic dam built during his administration in a bid to prevent a water crisis emerging in the country.
Aside from inaugurating the dam, Jokowi also performed a ribbon-cutting ceremony for 22 new road sections across West Muna regency in the same province to boost mobility in the region.
Other than officially opening infrastructure projects, Jokowi also resumed his famous blusukan (unannounced visits) to personally check on places such as government offices, traditional markets and areas affected by disasters.
Wearing a white, rolled up-sleeve T-shirt and a pair of sneakers, Jokowi went to a local mall in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), earlier this month, where he was welcomed with rousing cheers from surprised shoppers. During his visit to the mall, the President took time to chat with diners in a restaurant.
Last Sunday, the outgoing president was seen cycling from the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta to the bustling Car Free Day (CFD) event along Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Jendral Sudirman, where hundreds of people cheered for him and asked for photos.
The May 12 CFD was the second in a row that the President visited, as he also visited the previous week to cycle around and greet attendees.
Read also: Jokowi in ‘blusukan’ mode in final year of presidency
Observers have noted that Jokowi’s series of visits to various parts of the country in the final months of his presidency are part of his efforts to maintain his popularity after he steps down from office in October.
The infrastructure projects he inaugurated would serve as his “optical monument”, said political researcher Wasisto Raharjo of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
“Ensuring his infrastructure projects in many regions are successful can help his name continue to resonate in the public sphere even after he steps down,” he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Jokowi continues to enjoy high popularity even as he nears the end of his presidency, with his job approval rating exceeding 76 percent, according to recent surveys by pollsters Indikator Politik and Lembaga Survey Indonesia (LSI).
Observers believe that his robust popularity stems from several factors, such as his work on improving infrastructure in remote parts of the country and his regular interaction with ordinary people.
“His legacy, which then becomes one of the foundations of his popularity, will be his political capital if Jokowi decides to stay in politics,” Wasisto said.
He added that the President’s signature blusukan lately had been part of his effort to build a populist narrative to create a perception that “the public, not Jokowi himself, wants him to stay in politics”.
Jokowi is the first Indonesian president not to have originated from traditional elite networks with connections to the military, bureaucracy or political parties.
Since his first political endeavor as the mayor of Surakarta in Central Java, Jokowi has been backed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). The party had been a staunch supporter of the President and his family.
But unlike any of his predecessors, Jokowi now no longer has a political vehicle of his own.
He has been estranged from the party for months since he allowed his eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka to run for vice president alongside Defense Minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto, a rival to PDI-P-backed candidate Ganjar Pranowo.
The PDI-P recently confirmed that Jokowi was no longer a member of the party, ending more than a decade-long affiliation between the President and the party that had nurtured him.
Read also: Prabowo-backing parties open doors to Jokowi
As questions now loom over what the future holds for the outgoing leader and his family, other parties like the Golkar Party and National Mandate Party (PAN) have extended invitations for Jokowi to join them.
Despite his claim that he would go back to his hometown of Surakarta, many, including his supporters, believe that it is unlikely Jokowi will disappear from the national political scene.
“Jokowi is too young to retire [from politics],” said Communications and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, who also heads Projo, the largest Jokowi supporter group. “His experience can inspire and give guidance for sustainable progress in the country.”