The appeal of Joko Widodo – Indonesian president, rock-loving everyman and giver of bicycles
As the nation prepares to elect its next leader, the slum-born furniture manufacturer, who has changed the face of politics in the world’s third-largest democracy and given away a lot of bicycles in the process, is hoping for a second term
On a bright morning a few weeks ago, the leader of the world’s third-largest democracy rode a bicycle through the streets of Yogyakarta en route to a rock concert-slash-campaign rally. Trailed by his wife and a procession of fellow university alumni, Joko Widodo, Indonesia’s 57-year-old president, who goes by Jokowi, looked like he was having the time of his life. A toothy grin on his face, he waved to supporters lining the roadside, his vintage bike wobbling each time he shook the hand of a fan who had darted past the security detail.
Reed-thin, clad in jeans, trainers and a navy-blue bomber jacket despite the withering heat, Widodo arrived at an outdoor field and strode down a raised walkway into a sea of matching white shirts, raised smartphones, and fluttering cardboard thumbs-ups, a symbol of his re-election campaign. “I am so happy to be back in Yogya!” Thousands cheered. He delivered a stump speech in a sometimes-hoarse voice, bags cradling his perpetually smiling eyes. The day before, Widodo had visited five of Indonesia’s 34 provinces, a fact he used to extol the diversity of the archipelago’s 260 million residents and several hundred ethnic groups. As the Jokowi! Jokowi! chant broke out, he hurled his jacket into the crowd.
Widodo, who always seems composed and relaxed, is a metalhead. In 2013, when he was governor of the capital city of Jakarta, Metallica’s bassist gave him a signed guitar, which he promptly turned over to the anti-corruption agency to comply with ethics rules prohibiting gifts to public servants. Rock stars and celebrities fuelled the youthful euphoria surrounding his successful 2014 presidential bid.
At the rally, legendary Indonesian rock band God Bless took the stage behind him, as Widodo knelt into the crowd to shake hands and pose for selfies. The equatorial sun beat down, but he moved relentlessly from section to section along the edge of the stage, pausing only to towel the sweat from his wide brow. An aide tells me his fingers often hurt from all the flesh-pressing. Finally, Widodo exited stage-right to catch a plane to another event. The band rocked on, but most of the audience streamed out now that the star had left.
With Indonesians heading to the polls on April 17, Widodo, a slum-born furniture manufacturer, is campaigning at full bore, even though all signs indicate the election is in the bag: he has a stable economy, the support of most political parties and mass media, and a healthy lead in the polls over Prabowo Subianto, the 67-year-old former general who Widodo defeated in the 2014 race.
The basis of Widodo’s popularity is his character, and one quality in particular: closeness to the people. At a time when almost any unconventional politician is called a populist, Widodo is a man of the people in the truest sense. He shops at traditional markets. Eats street food. Drinks herbal medicine. When travelling the country, he sometimes stays in cheap hotels, to the consternation of his entourage. His speech is simple, laconic, folksy. He doesn’t golf or hobnob with elites, preferring instead to ride his bike and play with his two-year-old grandson. A Muslim like 88 per cent of Indonesians, he fasts for Ramadan and prays, though he doesn’t make a big show of it.