“Jokowi!” they shoutusing the nickname by which the country’s new President is universally referredreaching out to him for handshakes and selfies.
“Pagi!” — “Good morning!”
Since October he’s been the President of this enormous Pacific archipelago of about 250 million people — the largest Muslim-majority country in the world.
“Indonesia is a big country. We have 17,000 islands, and it is not easy to manage that,” he told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview Sunday, speaking a mixture of English and Bahasa Indonesia.
He has made the “blusukan” — an unannounced visit with the people — a trademark of his political brand.
“Blusukan is go to the people, go to the ground,” he told Amanpour as he walked his bike through crowds in central Jakarta.
“We check our program, we consult our program, and we must know the real situation (on) the ground.”
Likely increasing his bodyguards’ stress levels, he makes these visits at least once a week.
It is a rare sight for any world leader, let alone one who leads a country with a history of violent separatist movements.
His security team allows the President to be jostled by young and old elbowing in for a handshake.
Later at a slum that he’s transformed into new low-cost housing, an elderly woman walks right up to the President.
“She asked my number — telephone number!” he says.
“Things are getting a little too friendly,” says Amanpour with a smile.
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“Everybody has to be mature in looking at it as a legal process, and the President is not allowed to intervene. This is a legal process.”
‘No compromise’ on death sentences for drug dealers
The rise of a nonmilitary politician may have given hope to those who wanted a dovish president, but Widodo’s approach to drug smugglers on death row has been cold comfort.
In December, he announced that he would reject clemency requests for 64 inmates sentenced to die.
Six prisoners were killed by firing squad this month, including five foreigners. Brazil and the Netherlands (Indonesia’s former colonial power) withdrew their ambassadors in protest.
Two Australians are due to face the firing squad; Widodo rejected their requests for clemency as well, over appeals from the Australian Prime Minister.
“Imagine every day we have 50 people die because of narcotics, of drugs. In one year, it’s 18,000 people who die because of narcotics. We are not going to compromise for drug dealers. No compromise. No compromise,” he says.
“The decision of death penalty is on the court. But they can ask for amnesty to the President. But I tell you there will be no amnesty for drug dealers.”
So no relief, Amanpour asked, for the Australians due to die?
No, the President shook his head.
“Eighteen thousand people die every year. I ask you, is it not more dangerous?”
