JAKARTA. President Joko “Jokowi’ Widodo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, First Lady Iriana and Kalla's wife, Mufidah Kalla, greeted tens of thousands people assembled along the capital’s main thoroughfares from two horse-drawn carriages following their inauguration on Monday.
Jokowi, Kalla and their respective wives rode in the presidential vehicles from the House of Representatives in Senayan, Central Jakarta, to the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle in Central Jakarta. There, they disembarked and boarded two horse drawn carriages -- Jokowi and Kalla in the first carriage, Iriana and Mufidah in the second -- and continued to the State Palace amid heavy security detail.
The presidential convoy began the journey from the HI circle at 1:30 p.m.
Jokowi and Kalla, donning white shirts, waved to the cheering crowd as Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) and police officers attempted to maintain a safe distance between the carriages and the throngs of cheering supporters.
Various art performances, including one by the Solo Batik Carnaval group hailing from the President’s hometown of Surakarta, Central Java, as well as hundreds of supporters who together unfurled two gigantic Indonesia national flags, followed the presidential convoy on its way to the palace.
Dewi Citrowati, a bank employee, said she got caught up in the moment.
“I was so close to them and I believe that Pak JK [Jusuf Kalla] waved at me. I can’t believe that we finally got to this point after all of the political drama,” Dewi told The Jakarta Post.
Another office worker, who observed the celebration from a bridge, said "Look at this! I can’t believe they are even thinking about returning the people’s votes to the MPR [People’s Consultative Assembly],” referring to rumors that Prabowo Subianto’s Red-and-White Coalition plans to end direct presidential elections and return the power to the MPR, whose leadership is dominated by the coalition. (nfo)
