Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the
7th and current
president of Indonesia
The President of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Presiden Republik Indonesia) is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president leads the executive branch of the Indonesian government and i ...
. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elite political or military background. He was previously the mayor of
Surakarta from 2005 to 2012 and the governor of
Jakarta from 2012 to 2014. Before his political career, he was an industrialist and businessman.
He achieved national prominence in 2009 for his work as the mayor of Surakarta. A member of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), he was named as the party's candidate for the
2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election, alongside
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (, Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Chûng Van-ho̍k''; born 29 June 1966) is an Indonesian businessman, politician, and former governor of Jakarta. He is also known by his Hakka Chinese nickname Ahok (). He was the second minority go ...
(often known as ''Ahok'') as his running mate. Defeating incumbent
Fauzi Bowo,
he took office in October 2012 and reinvigorated Jakartan politics, introducing publicised ''blusukan'' visits (unannounced spot checks) and improving the city's bureaucracy, reducing corruption in the process. He also introduced years-late programs to improve quality of life, including universal healthcare, dredging the city's main river to reduce flooding, and inaugurating the construction of
the city's subway system.
The PDI-P nominated Jokowi as their candidate in the
2014 presidential election.
Winning a majority of the popular vote, he was named
president-elect on 22 July 2014, to bitter protest from his opponent
Prabowo Subianto, who disputed the outcome and withdrew from the race before the count was completed. As president, Jokowi has primarily focused on infrastructure, introducing or restarting long-delayed programs to improve connectivity in the Indonesian
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
. On foreign policy, his administration has emphasised "protecting Indonesia’s sovereignty",
with the sinking of illegal foreign fishing vessels and the prioritising and scheduling of
capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...
for drug smugglers. The latter was despite intense representations and diplomatic protests from foreign powers, including Australia and France.
He was re-elected in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
for a second five-year term, again defeating Prabowo Subianto.
Early life
Jokowi was born Mulyono on 21 June 1961 in
Surakarta,
and is of
Javanese descent.
He is the eldest of four siblings and is the only son of Noto Mihardjo (father) and Sudjiatmi Notomihardjo (mother). He has three younger sisters, named Iit Sriyantini, Ida Yati, and Titik Relawati. His father came from
Karanganyar, while his grandparents came from a village in
Boyolali. Jokowi was often sick as a toddler, and his name was thus changed—a common practice in
Javanese culture—to Joko Widodo, with ''widodo'' meaning "healthy" in
Javanese.
At the age of 12, he started working in his father's furniture workshop.
Throughout his childhood, Jokowi's family constantly faced evictions from their landlords; this greatly affected him, and later in his career organised medical housing in
Surakarta during his years as mayor of the city.
Jokowi's education began at State Elementary School 111 Tirtoyoso, known for being a school for less wealthy citizens. He continued his studies in State Junior High School 1 Surakarta, and later wanted to attend State Senior High School 1 Surakarta, but failed the entrance exam and enrolled in State Senior High School 6 Surakarta.
Business career
After graduating from university, Jokowi began work at PT Kertas Kraft Aceh (
id), a
state-owned firm in
Aceh
Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...
,
Sumatra.
He worked in the present-day
Bener Meriah Regency between 1986 and 1988 as a supervisor of forestry and raw materials of a ''
Pinus merkusii'' plantation.
However, Jokowi soon became uninterested in his activities in the firm and returned home. He began working in his grandfather's furniture factory for a year before establishing his own company, Rakabu, whose namesake is his first child. The company, which mainly focused on
teak furniture, nearly went bankrupt at one point but survived following an IDR 500 million loan from
Perusahaan Gas Negara
PT Pertamina Gas Negara Tbk (PGN, en, Pertamina Gas Company, trading as Pertamina Gas Negara; formerly known as PT Perusahaan Gas Negara Tbk, en, State Gas Company) is an Indonesian natural gas transportation and distribution company. The to ...
. By 1991, the company began exporting its products, and they were successful in international markets. The firm first established a presence in the European market in France, and it was a French customer named Bernard who gave Joko Widodo the nickname "Jokowi".
By 2002, Jokowi had become the chairman of Surakarta's furniture manufacturers association.
Ultimately he decided to become a politician and promote reform in his home town, Surakarta, after seeing the neat layouts of some European cities while promoting his furniture there.
After becoming mayor, he also made a joint venture with politician and former
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, when the two founded PT Rakabu Sejahtera (from Rakabu and Luhut's PT Toba Sejahtera).
In 2018, Jokowi reported his net worth to be Rp 50.25 billion (US$3.5 million), mostly in the form of property holdings in Central Java and Jakarta.
Political career
Mayor of Surakarta
After first joining PDI-P in 2004, Jokowi ran in the
mayoral race in Surakarta in 2005 with
F. X. Hadi Rudyatmo as his running mate, with the support of PDI-P and the
National Awakening Party. The pair won 36.62% of the vote against the incumbent
Slamet Suryanto
Slamet Suryanto (1 November 1944 – 3 April 2018) was an Indonesian politician who served as the Mayor of Surakarta.
Having been elected member of Surakarta's city council by 1985, he also served a year at the People's Representative Council bef ...
and two other candidates. During the campaign, many questioned his background as a property and furniture businessman. However, one academic paper claimed his leadership style was successful because it established an interactive relationship with the people, through which he was able to induce people's strong faith in him.
He adopted the development framework of European cities (which he frequently travelled to as a businessman) as a guide for changes in Surakarta.
His notable policies as mayor include building new traditional markets and renovating existing markets, constructing a 7-km city walk with a 3-meter wide pedestrian walkway along Surakarta's main street, revitalising the Balekambang and Sriwedari parks, employing stricter regulations on cutting down trees along the city's main streets, rebranding the city as a centre of Javanese culture and tourism under the tagline "The Spirit of Java", promoting the city as a centre for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE), launching healthcare and education insurance program for all residents, a local
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
system named ''
Batik Solo Trans
Batik Solo Trans (abbreviated BST) is a bus rapid transit system serving the city of Surakarta, Central Java. Launched in 2010, it currently operates 12 corridors.
Summary
Batik Solo Trans was launched on 1 September 2010 by then-mayor of Suraka ...
'' and a Solo Techno Park, which helped support the
Esemka Indonesian car project.
It was during his tenure as mayor that he conducted the ''blusukan'', an impromptu visit to specific areas to listen to people's issues, which proved popular later in his political career. He also prohibited his family members from bidding for city projects, therefore suppressing the risk of corruption. His policies brought him into conflict with then provincial governor
Bibit Waluyo
Bibit Waluyo (born 5 August 1949) is an Indonesian politician and lieutenant general, who served as the governor of Central Java from 2008 until 2013, when he was defeated by Ganjar Pranowo. Prior to entering politics, he was an officer in the I ...
, who on one occasion called Jokowi a "fool" for the latter's opposition to a provincial construction project in Surakarta.
His supporters pointed to rapid positive changes in Surakarta under his leadership and the city's branding with the motto 'Solo: The Spirit of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
'. While in office, he successfully relocated antique stalls in the Banjarsari Gardens without incident, a helpful move in revitalising the functions of the open green land; he emphasised the importance of business firms engaging in community activities; he improved communications with the local community by appearing regularly on local television. As a follow-up of the city's new branding, he applied for Surakarta to become a member of the
Organization of World Heritage Cities
The Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization of 250 cities in which sites of the UNESCO World Heritage list are located. It was founded in 1993 in Fez, Morocco, during the second In ...
, which was approved in 2006, and subsequently had the city chosen to host the organisation's conference in October 2008.
In 2007, Surakarta had also hosted the
World Music Festival (Festival Musik Dunia/FMD), held at the complex of
Fort Vastenburg near the centre of the city. The following year, it was held in the
Mangkunegaran Palace Complex.
Part of Jokowi style was his populist 'can-do' (''punya gaye'') elements designed to build bonds with the broad electorate.
As mayor, he became personally involved in an incident just before Christmas 2011 when the Surakarta municipality had overdue bills of close to $1 million (IDR 8.9 billion) owed to the state-owned electricity company ''
Perusahaan Listrik Negara'' (PLN).
Following its policy of pursuing a more disciplined approach to collecting overdue bills, it imposed a blackout on street lights in the city just before Christmas. The city government quickly authorised payment, but in settling the bill, protested that the PLN should consider the public interest before taking such action. To reinforce the point, Jokowi made a highly publicised personal visit to the local PLN office to deliver the IDR 8.9 billion in cash in the form of hundreds of bundles of notes and even small coins.
In 2010, he was
re-elected for a second term, again running with Hadi. They won 90.09% of the vote, losing in only a single polling station. He was later chosen as the 'Tempo Leader of Choice' by
Tempo news magazine (2008) and received a 'Changemakers Award' from
Republika newspaper (2010); his name also started being considered in national polls for the governorship of Jakarta, long before PDI-P's nomination, including those by
University of Indonesia and Cyrus Network (2011).
In 2012, Jokowi faced a smear campaign after declaring his intention to run for the
governorship of Jakarta. A group calling itself ''Save Solo, Save Jakarta and Save Indonesia Team'' (TS3) reported him to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for allegedly having facilitated misuse of education funds by his subordinates in Surakarta in 2010. The KPK investigated the allegation, found it was based on false data and said there was no indication Jokowi had misappropriated funds.
Governor of Jakarta
Despite disappointment from some Surakarta residents that he would not complete his second term as mayor, Jokowi ran in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election and defeated the incumbent
Fauzi Bowo in a runoff round.
His inner circle of advisers in Jakarta reportedly included people such as FX Hadi 'Rudy' Rudyatmo, Sumartono Hadinoto and Anggit Nugroho, who were colleagues while he was mayor of Surakarta, as well as
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (, Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Chûng Van-ho̍k''; born 29 June 1966) is an Indonesian businessman, politician, and former governor of Jakarta. He is also known by his Hakka Chinese nickname Ahok (). He was the second minority go ...
("Ahok"), his deputy as governor of Jakarta. Jokowi continued the ''blusukan'' practice he had adopted as mayor of Surakarta by regularly visiting population centers, especially slums. During these visits, he wore simple, informal clothes and stopped at markets or walked along narrow Jakarta alleys to listen and witness firsthand issues addressed by residents, such as the price of food, housing difficulties, flooding, and transportation. Polling and media coverage suggested that his hands-on style proved very popular both in Jakarta and elsewhere across Indonesia.
After taking office, taxes and Jakarta's provincial budget increased significantly from IDR 41 trillion in 2012 to IDR 72 trillion in 2014. Both Jokowi and Ahok publicised their monthly salary and the provincial budget.
They also initiated programs aimed towards transparency, such as online taxes, e-budgeting, e-purchasing, and a cash management system.
Moreover, all meetings and activities that Jokowi and Ahok attended were recorded and uploaded on YouTube.
In healthcare, Jokowi introduced a universal health care program, the 'Healthy Jakarta Card' (''Kartu Jakarta Sehat'', KJS). It involved an insurance program provided through state-owned insurance company PT Askes Indonesia (''Persero'') and a plan to regulate health charges for treatment for over 20,000 services and procedures. The program was criticised for confusion over details of the implementation and long queues, though Jokowi defended it and counselled patience. In education, Jokowi launched the 'Smart Jakarta Card' (''Kartu Jakarta Pintar'', KJP) on 1 December 2012 to help needy students. It gives an allowance that can be withdrawn from ATMs for buying school needs such as books and uniforms.
His administration's other notable policies include a system of bureaucratic recruitment called ''lelang jabatan'' (literally 'auction of office position'), giving every civil servant the same opportunity to achieve a certain position by fulfilling the required qualifications, regulation of the chaotic agglomeration of street vendors in
Pasar Minggu and Pasar Tanah Abang, the dredging and reservoir normalisation projects to reduce flooding, and the inauguration of long-delayed
Jakarta MRT and
Jakarta LRT. As governor, Jokowi also appointed a non-Muslim 'lurah' (subdistrict chief) for the Muslim-majority subdistrict of Lenteng Agung despite protests by some residents. Former deputy governor
Prijanto claimed that Jokowi had carried out maladministration when abusing government certificate asset of BMW Park by formalising another expired certificate.
In 2013, Jokowi was reported to the
National Commission on Human Rights over the eviction of the squatters near
Pluit. In previous "political contracts", he had vowed not to evict residents to distant locations. Jokowi met with Pluit residents and Komnas HAM to explain the evictions were necessary for restoring water catchment to reduce flooding and that families were being relocated to low-cost apartments.
Presidential candidacies
2014
Megawati Sukarnoputri nominated Jokowi to be the presidential candidate of her party.
During the campaign, a social media volunteer team, ''JASMEV'', once made a provocative statement by threatening that Islam would not be given a space in Indonesia if Jokowi won the 2014 election. The group was paid IDR 500 million to campaign for the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla ticket during the 2014 election.
Following the release of Quick Count results from many different polls, Jokowi declared victory on 9 July. However, his opponent
Prabowo also declared victory, creating confusion among the population. On 22 July, hours before the announcement of the election results, Prabowo withdrew.
Jokowi's victory was expected and realised hours later.
The
General Elections Commission
The General Elections Commission ( id, Komisi Pemilihan Umum, abbreviated as KPU) is the body that organises elections in Indonesia. Its responsibilities include deciding which parties can contest elections, organising the voting and announcing ...
(KPU) gave him a close victory with 53.15% of the vote (almost 71 million votes), to Prabowo's 46.85% (62 million votes), though Prabowo's camp disputed these totals.
After his victory, Jokowi stated that growing up under the authoritarian and corrupt
New Order regime, he would have never expected someone with a lower-class background to become president. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported him as saying, "now, it's quite similar to America, yeah? There is the
American dream, and here we have the Indonesian dream".
Jokowi was the first Indonesian president outside the military or the political elite, and the political commentator Salim Said gave the popular view of the politician as "someone who is our neighbour, who decided to get into politics and run for president".
2019
In 2018, Jokowi announced that he would run for re-election
next year. His vice president
Jusuf Kalla was not eligible for another term because of the term limits set for president and vice president. Kalla had already served a five-year term as vice president during
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born 9 September 1949), commonly referred to by his initials SBY, is an Indonesian politician and retired army general who served as the sixth president of Indonesia from 2004 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party ...
's first term (2004–2009). Speculation surrounding Jokowi's choice of running mate focused on several candidates, including
Mahfud MD, a former defence minister and chief justice of the
Constitutional Court. In a surprise move, Jokowi announced that
Ma'ruf Amin would be his running mate. Mahfud had reportedly been preparing for the vice-presidential candidacy. Ma'ruf was selected instead following a push by several constituent parties of Jokowi's governing coalition and influential Islamic figures. Explaining his decision, Jokowi referred to Ma'ruf's extensive experience in government and religious affairs.
The KPU officially announced that the Joko Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin ticket had won the election in the early hours of 21 May 2019. The official vote tally was 85 million votes for Jokowi (55.50%) and 68 million votes for Prabowo (44.50%). Supporters of Prabowo protested in Jakarta against the result, and
it turned into a riot which left eight people dead and over 600 injured.
Following the protests, Prabowo's campaign team launched a Constitutional Court lawsuit but was rejected in its entirety.
Presidency of Indonesia
Government and cabinets
Despite vowing not to give government positions simply to political allies during the 2014 campaign, many members of political parties received ministerial positions in Jokowi's first cabinet. The first year of Jokowi's administration saw him controlling a
minority government until
Golkar
)
, foundation =
, youth = AMPG (Golkar Party Young Force)
, women = KPPG (Golkar Party Women's Corps)
, newspaper = '' Suara Karya'' (1971–2016)
, headquarters = Jakarta
, ideology ...
, the second-largest party in the
People's Representative Council
The People's Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, DPR-RI), also known as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected chambers of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), ...
(DPR), switched from opposition to the government. Jokowi denied accusations of interfering with Golkar's internal affairs, although he admitted that Luhut might have influenced the change.
His cabinet's
Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto
Airlangga Hartarto (born 1 October 1962) is an Indonesian politician and businessman. He is the current Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs in President Joko Widodo's Onward Indonesia Cabinet, appointed on 23 October 2019. He is also the ...
was elected chairman of Golkar in 2018. The
National Mandate Party (PAN) had also switched sides beforehand but later returned to being the opposition in 2018.
Jokowi announced the 34 names in his cabinet on 26 October 2014. While it was praised for the inclusiveness of women, with
Retno Marsudi becoming Indonesia's first female foreign minister, it received criticism for several perceived political inclusions, such as
Puan Maharani (daughter of
Megawati Sukarnoputri). The Jokowi administration also saw the formation of two new ministries (Ministry of Public Works and Housing and
Ministry of Environment and Forestry
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry ( id, Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan) is the cabinet-level, government ministry in the Republic of Indonesia responsible for managing and conserving that nation's forests. The current Ministe ...
) from a merger of old ministries, in addition to renaming and reorganisation of other ministries. He conducted a total of three cabinet reshuffles until 2018, removing ministers such as
Rizal Ramli
Rizal Ramli (born 10 December 1954) is an Indonesian politician, economist, and former student activist. Ramli served as Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs under President Joko Widodo's Working Cabinet. He also served under President ...
and
Bambang Brodjonegoro while including ministers such as Luhut and
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
Director
Sri Mulyani Indrawati. Another reshuffle occurred in December 2020, replacing six ministers including two apprehended by the KPK.
He was criticised by PDI-P over perceived policy weaknesses, and PDI-P legislator
Effendi Simbolon
Effendi Muara Sakti Simbolon (born 1 December 1964) is an Indonesian politician of PDI-P who has been a member of the People's Representative Council (DPR) since 2004. Despite coming from the same political party, Simbolon was a noted critic of p ...
called for his impeachment. On 9 April 2015, during a PDI-P Congress, party leader
Megawati Sukarnoputri referred to Jokowi as a functionary. She noted that presidential candidates are nominated by political parties, hinting that Jokowi owed his position to the party and should carry out its policy line. Several months prior, Megawati and Jokowi had disputed over the appointment of a new police chief, with Megawati supporting her former adjutant Budi Gunawan while Jokowi supported
Badrodin Haiti
Police-General Badrodin Haiti was the Chief of the Indonesian National Police from 16 January 2015 until 13 July 2016, succeeding, Police-General Sutarman. On 16 January 2015 Badrodin was appointed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo to be the ...
.
Following his re-election, Jokowi announced his second cabinet on 23 October 2019. He retained several ministers such as Sri Mulyani and Luhut but also included
Gojek founder
Nadiem Makarim and two-time presidential rival
Prabowo Subianto as education and defence ministers, respectively.
In the first year of his second presidential term, his approval rating fell to 45.2%, and the disapproval rating was 52%. His deputy, Ma'ruf Amin, had a 67% disapproval rating. The low ratings were attributed to unpopular policies.
Economy
Before taking office, Jokowi sought for outgoing president
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born 9 September 1949), commonly referred to by his initials SBY, is an Indonesian politician and retired army general who served as the sixth president of Indonesia from 2004 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party ...
(SBY) to take responsibility for the decision to further increase fuel prices
by further removing subsidies. Previous attempts by SBY to do so had resulted in civil unrest.
On 1 January 2015, Jokowi took measures that, on the surface, appeared to reduce fuel subsidies. The policy stirred up some demonstrations, with Jokowi citing it as necessary to increase funding for the infrastructure, education and health sectors. However, since March 2015, the government has set the price of Premium-branded gasoline far below the market price, causing the fuel subsidy to be incurred by state-owned oil company
Pertamina instead of the direct government account. Additionally, the government also implemented a single-price program, aiming to sell fuel through official channels at the same price nationally, including in isolated parts of
Kalimantan
Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo.
In 2019, ...
and
Papua. The government claimed that this was achieved in 2017.
In the first quarter of 2015, year-on-year GDP grew 4.92%, and in the second quarter, it grew 4.6%, the lowest figure since 2009. Since then, growth has remained above the 5% mark, which is still below what is considered a healthy economic growth mark of 6%. The
Indonesian rupiah (IDR) has also weakened throughout Jokowi's administration, with its exchange rate per
US dollar
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
briefly passing IDR 15,000 in 2018, the lowest level since the
1997 Asian financial crisis, and sank lower to 16,700 in 2020. The year-on-year inflation in June 2015 was 7.26%, higher than in May (7.15%) and June the year before (6.7%).
Jokowi's administration continued the
resource nationalism
Resource nationalism is the tendency of people and governments to assert control over natural resources located on their territory. As a result, resource nationalism conflicts with the interests of multinational corporations.
The approach of pe ...
policy of its predecessor, nationalising some assets controlled by multinational companies such as
Freeport McMoRan,
TotalEnergies and
Chevron. In 2018, in a move aimed to cut imports, oil companies operating in Indonesia were ordered to sell their crude oil to state-owned
Pertamina. A ban was also enforced on the exports of raw nickel ore, intended to help promote the development of local nickel-related industries such as smelters and battery factories. The policy was further extended, with export bans of unprocessed copper, tin, bauxite and gold ores expected to come into force in mid 2023.
Infrastructure development has been a significant feature of the Jokowi administration, focusing on road and railway expansion, seaports and airports development, and irrigation. In 2016, the state budget allocated Rp 290 trillion (US$22 billion) for infrastructure, the biggest in Indonesian history. In total, his administration planned 265 infrastructure projects starting in 2016. In September 2015, Indonesia awarded a $5.5 billion
high-speed rail project to China, to Japan's disappointment, which is also vying for the project. Indonesia's transportation ministry laid out a litany of shortcomings in plans for the project, casting doubt on the project and spotlighting Jokowi's limits in turning mega-projects into reality as he tries to draw foreign investors. Other significant projects include the completion of the 4,325-kilometer
Trans Papua
Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of".
Used alone, trans may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Trans (festival), a former festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
* ''Trans'' (film ...
road and the
Trans-Java Toll Road, initial construction of the
Trans-Sulawesi Railway and the
Trans-Sumatra Toll Road, a US$50 billion plan to develop the maritime sector including 24 "strategic ports", and expansion of airport capacity in remote areas. The ports' development and modernisation program, dubbed the "
Sea Toll Road
The Sea Toll Program (Indonesian: ''Tol Laut''), sometimes called the Sea Highway Program, is a program initiated by Indonesian president Joko Widodo. Its aim is to reduce price disparity between the main islands of Indonesia and smaller isolated ...
" program, was aimed to reduce price inequality between the better developed western parts of the country and the less populated eastern parts.
In addition to the major projects, the Jokowi administration also implemented a village fund program in which villages across the country received funding to allocate on basic infrastructures such as roads and water supply, tourism development and village enterprises to improve rural economies. The initial campaign promise was that IDR 1.4 billion (around US$100,000) would be allocated for every village annually, though as of 2019, less than a billion was allocated. Between 2015 and 2018, IDR 187 trillion (US$14 billion) had been reallocated through the program. The administration has targeted to streamline land certification across the country, aiming to distribute certificates of land ownership across the country completely. It involved increasing the issuing rate of certificates from around 500,000 to several million annually. In 2016, the administration signed into law a
tax amnesty bill following a lengthy public debate and push back, giving wealthy Indonesians a chance to declare their unreported assets before the government would strengthen rules and oversight around imports and exports. It became the most successful program of its kind in history, with over IDR 4,865 trillion (approximately US$366 billion) of previously unreported assets declared to the tax office.
The opposition criticised the aggressive spending on infrastructure as it increased Indonesia's national debt by 48% between 2014 and March 2018 to US$181 billion. They also pointed out that most of the debt was allocated for remunerations rather than infrastructure development. In April 2018, Jokowi also issued a new policy that allows foreign workers in Indonesia without Indonesian language skills requirement, reasoning that it would increase investments. The policy faced significant opposition from local labour unions, who claimed that the policy would increase unemployment rates.
In 2020, the DPR passed the
Omnibus Law on Job Creation. Though intended to boost investment and reduce
red tape
Red tape is an idiom referring to regulations or conformity to formal rules or standards which are claimed to be excessive, rigid or redundant, or to bureaucracy claimed to hinder or prevent action or decision-making. It is usually applied to ...
, it is also perceived as weakening labour and environmental protections, causing a
series of protests in major cities. Jokowi defended the law by saying that it would be needed to create jobs and called for protesters to lodge a challenge instead to the
Constitutional Court of Indonesia. The law, which revised over 70 previous laws and contained some 1,200 clauses, had been put forward by Jokowi following his 2019 re-election. Several groups had criticised the opaqueness of the government during the deliberation of the law. In the same year, Indonesia hit the lowest inflation level in history and faced the first economic recession since the 1997 Asian Financial crisis.
In November 2021, Jokowi promised to end and reverse
deforestation in Indonesia by 2030, in the
COP26 climate summit's first major agreement.
Politics
Early in his first term, the opposition coalition within the DPR attempted to revoke a regulation (''Perppu'', Government Regulation in Lieu of Acts) issued by Jokowi's predecessor, which had guaranteed the holding of direct regional elections in Indonesia (and overrode a legislator-issued bill which arranged for indirect elections). Jokowi supported the direct regional elections and opposed attempts to revoke the regulation, stating that "direct regional elections was, in principle, non-negotiable". Within the first three years of his administration, Jokowi issued four such ''Perppu''.
Jokowi's government, including parties which opposed him during presidential elections, have been described as a
big tent
A big tent party, or catch-all party, is a term used in reference to a political party's policy of permitting or encouraging a broad spectrum of views among its members. This is in contrast to other kinds of parties, which defend a determined i ...
government, and by former Singaporean foreign minister
George Yeo as "democracy with Javanese characteristics".
Law and human rights
Judicial executions in Indonesia are carried out under a presidential decree following a death sentence imposed by a trial court. Jokowi in 2015 said he would not grant
clemency for drug offenders sentenced to death, arguing Indonesia was in a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
over
drug-related crimes, citing statistics the ''
Jakarta Globe'' reported to be faulty. His stance drew criticism as it could harm relations with the native countries of the condemned convicts, and also imperil Indonesians facing the death penalty abroad. Australia, Brazil and the Netherlands recalled their ambassadors from Indonesia following multiple executions in 2015.
Australia reduced its foreign aid to Indonesia by nearly half, and
Amnesty International issued a condemnation saying they showed a "complete disregard for due process and human rights safeguards". Former
Indonesian Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Mahkamah Konstitusi Republik Indonesia) is one of the apex courts in Indonesia along with the Indonesian Supreme Court. Its primary role is reviewing the constitutionality of statutes ...
chief justice
Jimly Asshiddiqie, who was a key player in the anti-death penalty lobby in Jakarta, said the push for the execution of Australians
Myuran Sukumaran and
Andrew Chan
Andrew Chan (; 12 January 1984 – 29 April 2015) was an Australian man who was convicted and executed in Indonesia for illegal drug trade, drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Chan was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Ai ...
had come from Jokowi personally. ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' reported that Jokowi did not have or read related documents when he refused their clemency requests.
In the same year, Jokowi granted Frenchman Serge Atlaoui and
Filipino Mary Jane Veloso temporary reprieves due to pending legal appeals.
As of 2017, around 260 people remain on death row in Indonesia.
Regarding terrorism, Jokowi's administration in early 2016 proposed replacing the 2003 anti-terrorism law. Following the 2018
Surabaya bombings, the worst terrorist attack on Indonesian soil since the
2002 Bali bombings, the controversial bill passed, allowing the
Indonesian National Armed Forces
, founded = as the ('People's Security Forces')
, current_form =
, disbanded =
, branches =
, headquarters = Cilangkap, Jakarta
, website =
, commander-in-chief = Joko Widodo
...
to participate in
counter-terrorism activities upon police request and presidential approval. It also allowed extended detention of terror suspects and permitted wiretapping without initial court approval. Jokowi had threatened to issue a presidential regulation in lieu of law (''perppu'') if the bill did not pass the parliament by June that year.
During Jokowi's administration, there have been numerous instances where people were arrested or reported to police for activities deemed insulting to the president. Rights activists deem such arrests as a violation of the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princip ...
's guarantee of freedom of speech. A group claiming to be Jokowi's supporters reported
''Tempo'' magazine to police over a caricature of Jokowi as
Pinocchio, after which the Presidential Palace issued a statement saying "the President respected freedom of press and speech". A book about Jokowi titled ''Jokowi Undercover'' was banned upon release and its author sentenced to three years in prison and buyers of the book being advised to surrender their copies to the authorities. ''Tempo'' magazine described the 436-page book as "trashy and tasteless, a compilation of hoax reports on President Joko Widodo, scattered across the internet and cyber chatrooms". The government's plans to resurrect a Dutch colonial law that would permit imprisonment for insulting the president
resulted in widespread protests. A Law Firm and Public Interest Law Office (AMAR) institution later reported following the protests that they received many complaints of students regarding threats and sanctions of expulsion or suspension from their schools and universities. In addition, a remission granted to a journalist's murderer was revoked following media criticism.
In response to major protests, Jokowi's administration has generated some controversies. On 22 May 2019, amid post-election riots by supporters of losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, the government limited the speed at which photos and videos could be shared on social media to stop people from being incited by fake news and calls for violence. In the aftermath,
Amnesty International's Indonesian office denounced repressive measures against the demonstrators, condemned them as a grave human rights abuse and demanded the government investigate the extrajudicial executions in the clashes. In August and September 2019, the government blocked internet access in Papua and West Papua provinces amid
violent protests against racism. Jakarta State Administrative Court in 2020 ruled the internet blocks in Papua illegal.
In 2017, Jokowi supported a controversial bill on mass organisations, which upon passing resulted in the disbandment of the Indonesian branch of
Hizb ut-Tahrir. He argued the law was necessary to defend the national ideology,
Pancasila. The 2020 banning of the
Islamic Defenders Front
)
, formation =
, dissolved = , () ()
, successor = Islamic Brotherhood Front (Unrecognized)
, status = Banned
, founder = Muhammad Rizieq Shihab
, founding_location = Ciputat, So ...
(FPI) was also based on that law. Twenty-three days' earlier, police had shot dead six FPI members during a confrontation.
The president's subsequent defence of the police during their duty and his statement that no citizens should break the law or harm the country was criticised by FPI secretary-general Munarman as a justification of human rights abuse and
structural violence. A police chief involved in the car chase and subsequent murder claimed that the members were armed.
After the passing of several controversial bills and repressive crackdowns from security officers on major protests since 2019, his presidency has been criticised for "Neo-Authoritarianism". The ''
South China Morning Post'' even named him a 'Little
Suharto
Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto le ...
'
A premium price hike of public health care
BPJS Kesehatan through Executive Order (''Perpres'') 64/2020 was criticised as a flagrant breach of permanent
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
(''Mahkamah Agung'') decision that nullified the Perpres 82/2018 about the price hike. The ''Perpres'' 64/2020 itself was signed amid the COVID-19 pandemic that had caused hardship among the population. His former deputy mayor of Surakarta,
F. X. Hadi Rudyatmo, also voiced similar concerns.
Jokowi's presidency coincided with the 50th anniversary of the
Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66
The Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66, also known as the Indonesian genocide, Indonesian Communist Purge, or Indonesian politicide ( id, Pembunuhan Massal Indonesia & Pembersihan G.30.S/PKI), were large-scale killings and civil unrest pr ...
in 2015. A government-supported symposium to resolve human rights violations surrounding the event was held in 2016, but Jokowi said his government would not apologise to the victims of the mass purge. On
LGBT rights, Jokowi stated that "there should be no discrimination against anyone", but added that "in terms of our beliefs,
he LGBT lifestyle
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
isn't allowed, Islam does not allow it." Under his presidency, the controversial
transmigration program was cut once more, when in 2015, it was decided to end the migration program to the Papuan provinces.
Following the July 2022
killing of Brigadier Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat, an Indonesian police officer, there were allegations of police involvement in a cover-up. Police chief General
Listyo Sigit Prabowo
Listyo Sigit Prabowo (born 5 May 1969) is an Indonesian Police-General, who is currently the Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Kapolri). He was previously the Head of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim), and was inaugurated by ...
took over the investigation, forming a special team including members of the Human Rights Commission and Police Commissions.
Jokowi was keen for the force to be open about what happens: "Open it as it is. No cover-up. Transparent. That’s it. This is important so that the people don’t have doubts over the incident that occurred. This is what has to be maintained. Public trust in the police must be maintained."
In August 2022, Hutabarat's former boss, Inspector General Ferdy Sambo, head of internal affairs of the Indonesian National Police, along with three others, was charged with Hutabarat's murder.
Foreign policy
Before Jokowi's election, Indonesia's foreign policy under former president SBY was moulded by the mission statement, "A thousand friends and zero enemies". Jokowi has mandated a three-pronged policy of maintaining Indonesia's sovereignty, enhancing the protection of Indonesian citizens, and intensifying economic diplomacy.
Jokowi aspires Indonesia to become a global maritime power ( id, poros maritim dunia or global maritime axis). He sees the sea as having an increasingly important role in Indonesia's future and that as a maritime country, Indonesia must assert itself as a force between the two oceans: the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...
and the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
. The five pillars of this maritime-axis doctrine are rebuilding Indonesia's maritime culture, maintaining and managing marine resources, developing maritime infrastructure and connectivity as well as developing the shipping industry and maritime tourism, inviting other nations to cooperate in the marine field and eliminate the source of conflicts at sea, and developing maritime defence forces. As part of this vision, Jokowi has adopted a tougher stance on
illegal fishing
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries.
Illegal fishing takes p ...
. He stated that Jakarta could no longer tolerate a situation where over 5,000 ships are operating illegally in its waters every day, making a mockery out of Indonesian sovereignty and resulting in annual losses of over $20 billion.
On the
territorial disputes in the South China Sea, particularly in the
Natuna Islands where China's
nine-dash line intercepts Indonesian
EEZ claims, Jokowi stated that "there will be no compromise on sovereignty", and renamed Indonesia's section of the waters in the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
as "North Natuna Sea". In June 2016, he held a cabinet meeting off the islands aboard the
Indonesian Navy corvette
KRI ''Imam Bonjol'', calling to step up maritime patrols in the area. Under his administration, Indonesia has released an "Indo-Pacific Vision" for
ASEAN
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a Political union, political and economic union of 10 member Sovereign state, states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental coo ...
countries, which calls for regional architecture and considers the
Indian and
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
s as a single interconnected geostrategic area. Indonesia also entered a trilateral cooperation agreement with Malaysia and the Philippines, allowing coordinated patrols in the pirate-infested
Sulu Sea.
In the Muslim world, Jokowi released a statement calling for the
Muslim leaders at the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit meeting in
Jakarta to unite in reconciliation and push for
Palestinian independence. Under Jokowi, Indonesia's Foreign Minister has visited Palestine but refused entreaties to establish bilateral diplomatic relations with Israel. An
honorary consul was established in
Ramallah in the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
though it had to be inaugurated in
Amman,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Ri ...
. Jokowi also condemned the
persecution of Rohingya Muslims in
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
and oversaw the departure of four
Indonesian Air Force
The Indonesian Air Force ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU), literally "''Indonesian National Military-Air Force''") sometimes shortened as IDAF / IdAF, is the aerial branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The I ...
transport planes with 34 tons of relief supplies for
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. In October 2021, Jokowi advocated
COVID-19 vaccine equity, urging richer countries to share their vaccines with poorer ones.
Responding to the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Widodo visited both countries in July 2022, meeting with both Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...
and Russian President
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime m ...
, emphasizing in statements the need for peace and for the restoration of global food supply chains. As Indonesia hosted the
2022 G20 Summit that year, Widodo also invited Zelenskyy to attend, while resisting calls to revoke Russia's invitation to the summit.
Capital relocation
By April 2019, it was made public that Jokowi had decided in a meeting with cabinet ministers to move the
capital of Indonesia away from Jakarta to a location outside
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
. On 25 August 2019, it was further announced that the new capital would be located in
Kalimantan
Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo.
In 2019, ...
, between the regencies of
North Penajam Paser and
Kutai Kartanegara.
Jokowi Effect
The Jokowi Effect ( id, Efek Jokowi) is a term coined to describe the influence of media popularity of Jokowi on Indonesian politics and the Indonesian economy. When Jokowi was declared as a presidential candidate in the
2014 Indonesian presidential election it is believed that the popularity of the
Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle was boosted to 30% in the
2014 Indonesian legislative election. Meanwhile, in the capital market, the effect is said to have stimulated the Indonesian stock market and
Rupiah
The rupiah (symbol: Rp; currency code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia. It is issued and controlled by Bank Indonesia. The name " rupiah" is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, (). Sometimes, Indonesians also informally use ...
, because Jokowi was regarded as having a clean track record.
Family and personal life
Jokowi married his wife
Iriana in 1986. The couple has two sons and one daughter. Their first son,
Gibran Rakabuming Raka (born 1 October 1987), studied abroad in Sydney and Singapore (at the Management Development Institute of Singapore, MDIS) and currently runs a catering and wedding-planning business in Surakarta. Their only daughter, Kahiyang Ayu (born 20 April 1991), completed an undergraduate degree in food technology at the state-owned
Sebelas Maret University in Surakarta. Their second son,
Kaesang Pangarep (born 25 December 1994), completed his high school years in
ACS International, Singapore, and is an online vlogger. Jokowi has five grandchildren: a grandson and a granddaughter from Gibran (born in 2016 and 2019 respectively) and a granddaughter and two grandsons from Kahiyang (born in 2018, 2020 and 2022 respectively).
Several members of Jokowi's family have declared their intentions to enter politics by running as candidates in
2020 local elections. Gibran has declared his candidacy for the mayorship of Surakarta, in addition to his son-in-law
Bobby Nasution (
Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four ma ...
) and brother-in-law Wahyu Purwanto (
Gunung Kidul Regency). Gibran and Bobby won their elections, and both took office in 2021.
Jokowi has been described as "Muslim but broadly secular in his outlook". His statement in 2019 that
religion and politics should be separated prompted a public debate on whether he was promoting secularism in the country. In June 2013, a film titled ''Jokowi'', depicting Jokowi's childhood and youth, was released. He expressed some objections to the film, saying that he felt his life had been a simple one and was not worthy of being adapted into a film.
According to ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econ ...
'', Jokowi "has a penchant for loud rock music" and owned a bass guitar signed by
Robert Trujillo of heavy metal band
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instru ...
which was confiscated by the KPK. In November 2017, Danish Prime Minister
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who was on an official visit to Jakarta, gave Jokowi a Metallica ''
Master of Puppets'' vinyl box set as a
diplomatic gift. It was signed by the band's drummer and co-founder,
Lars Ulrich, a Danish native. Under his policy of transparency, Jokowi paid IDR 11 million ($800) out of his personal funds to claim the record, which had been declared a state asset to avoid accusations of gratification.
He has also been noted by many to be very similar in appearance to former US president
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
; his outsider political profile also inspired comparisons to Obama.
Jokowi is a
silat
is the collective term for a class of indigenous martial arts from the Nusantara and surrounding geocultural areas of Southeast Asia. It is traditionally practised in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Phi ...
practitioner. He had been practicing Setia Hati Terate style from
Persaudaraan Setia Hati Terate
Persaudaraan Setia Hati Terate (widely known as PSHT or SH Terate) is a sports and pencak silat organization from East Java, Indonesia, created by Ki Hadjar Hardjo Oetomo in 1922 and was later agreed to be renamed to Persaudaraan Setia Hati Ter ...
school since his time at junior high school and eventually mastering it. He attained first degree ''
pendekar
Pendekar (hero; master of swordsmanship or martial arts), Pandikar or Pandeka in ( silat) is a Malay word used to refer to or address a warrior who mastered the martial arts, particularly silat. Not all masters carry the honorary title; it m ...
warga'' rank of the silat school on 16 November 2013.
Awards and honours
National honours
*
Star of the Republic of Indonesia, 1st Class – 2014
*
Star of Mahaputera, 1st Class – 2014
*
Star of Merit, 1st Class – 2011
*
Star of Humanity – 2014
*
Star of Democracy Upholder, 1st Class – 2014
*
Star of Culture Parama Dharma – 2014
*
Star of Bhayangkara, 1st Class – 2014
*
Guerilla Star – 2014
*
Sacred Star – 2014
*
Star of Dharma – 2014
*
Star of Yudha Dharma, 1st Class – 2014
*
Star of Kartika Eka Paksi, 1st Class – 2014
*
Star of Jalasena, 1st Class – 2014
*
Star of Swa Bhuwana Paksa, 1st Class – 2014
Foreign honours
*
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
**
The Most Esteemed Family Order of Brunei (DK) – 7 February 2015
**
Sultan of Brunei Golden Jubilee Medal – 6 October 2017
*
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
**
Order of Abdulaziz al Saud – 12 September 2015
*
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-we ...
**
Great-collar of the Order of Timor-Leste – 26 January 2016
*
Sweden
**
Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim – 22 May 2017
*
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...
**
Medal of Ghazi Amanullah – 29 January 2018
Other
2008: Listed by ''
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
'' as one of the 'Top 10 Indonesian Mayors of 2008'.
2012: Ranked 3rd at the 2012
World Mayor Prize for "transforming a crime-ridden city into a regional centre for art and culture and an attractive city to tourists".
2013: Listed as one of "The Leading Global Thinkers of 2013" in ''
Foreign Policy
A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through ...
'' magazine. In February 2013, he was nominated as the global mayor of the month by the City Mayors Foundation, based in London.
2014: Listed by ''
Fortune'' as one of "The World's 50 Greatest Leaders".
2016–2017: List by "The Muslim 500" as one of the most influential Muslims in the world, which ranked 11 in 2016 and 13 in 2017.
2020: Sheikh
Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan renamed a street in
Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at ...
after him.
References
Further reading
* Majeed, Rushda (2012)
"The City With a Short Fuse."''Foreign Policy''. September.
* Majeed, Rushda (2012)
"Defusing a Volatile City, Igniting Reforms: Joko Widodo and Surakarta, Indonesia, 2005–2011."Innovations for Successful Societies. Princeton University. Published July.
* McCawley, Peter (2014)
''Joko Widodo's Indonesia: Possible future paths'' Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra.
External links
The ‘Jokowi Effect’ Could Be the Most Important Thing in Indonesia’s ElectionsThe key to understanding Indonesia’s upcoming elections? The Jokowi Effect"Jokowi Effect" Hanya Ilusi
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Widodo, Joko
1961 births
Gadjah Mada University alumni
Governors of Jakarta
Indonesian businesspeople
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle politicians
Indonesian engineers
Indonesian Muslims
Javanese people
Living people
Mayors of Surakarta
People from Surakarta
Presidents of Indonesia
Mayors of places in Indonesia