When I arrived in Indonesia two years and a half ago,
I did not know anything about politics in this country. Actually, not even during
these years of my stay here I have learnt it, maybe because of the big number
of political parties that makes me confused. However there is a name that has stuck to my
mind, that is Joko Widodo. Everybody speaks of him, and he appears often in the
media. Recently he was appointed as candidate for the 2014 presidential
elections. Therefore, I have wondered how come Joko Widodo is so popular. He
was just a furniture retailer in Solo, but since the year 2005 has won all the
elections he has presented to, that is as mayor of Solo in 2005, and as
governor of Jakarta in 2012. To win the elections is one thing, but to be a
good leader is another thing. However, Jokowi has proven the latter also. In
fact, he received the 3rd place of the 2012 World Mayor Prize for
"transforming a crime-ridden city into a regional center for art and
culture and an attractive city to tourists. There are three main reasons why
Joko Widodo is so popular, not only in Indonesia, but in the whole world, as
the award he received proves.
First and foremost, he truly cares for the
people. For him becoming mayor or governor is not a matter of thirst for power,
but rather an opportunity to serve his fellowmen. Jokowi has a virtue which is
essential for a leader, which is listening to others. This is the x-factor of
Jokowi and is shown in his Blusukans or “unscheduled visits.” These consist in
coming up in crowded areas where people work daily, such as markets, bus
stations, etc. He goes there to have a direct contact with the people. To see
what is going on in those places, and analyze how things can be improved.
Besides, it is very striking because he does these visits not in an official
way, but rather in a casual way, as if he were one more in those places. Even
he has been confused for a Becak driver.
Second, he has
proven himself in Surakarta, which was his first testing ground as a leader. He
did it very well and as I mentioned above, he got the third position in the 2012
World Mayor Prize. He had many achievements in Surakarta. First, he was able to
change the fame of this city from a crime-ridden city into “The Spirit of
Java.” Because of this, Surakarta has recovered his cultural value, and
therefore has become a main tourist destination in Indonesia, and even in the
whole Southeast Asia Region. Second, he was able to build new traditional
markets, including an antiques market and a home appliances market. These kind
of buildings is very much needed due to the farmer community.
Third, in his two years as governor of Jakarta
has got good achievements. To begin with, he was able to successfully move
street vendors from beside the road in order to create more road lanes in the
area of Tanah Abang. Third, he has fought hard to stop the floods. For example,
he began together with the World Bank, a $189
million flood-mitigation dredging-project aimed at reducing sedimentary buildup caused by poor maintenance
and solid waste management. Besides, he has promised subsidized apartments for
people living along rivers that tend to flood. Although he has not stopped the
floods yet, he is working hard to get this problem solved. Besides, this is a big
problem that began due to corrupt practices in the past, so it cannot be solved
in a period of just two years.
To sum up, I
think Joko Widodo is a role model for politicians in Indonesia. He is a person
who put someone else’s needs before his. He is willing to do his best for the
future of Indonesia.
