‘Captain’ Joko Widodo calls all Indonesians on board

INDONESIA’S new leader Joko Widodo has marked his inauguration by inviting citizens to “come aboard the ship of Indonesia”.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and new Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the President’s inauguration yesterday.

INDONESIA’S new leader Joko Widodo has completed a remarkable journey from riverside slum to presidential palace, marking his inauguration by inviting citizens to “come aboard the ship of Indonesia” and promising to restore the country’s maritime power.

Mr Joko, 53, described by Tony Abbott as “a charismatic and inspirational figure”, will waste no time as the country’s seventh President and is expected to announce his cabinet as early as tonight.

Yesterday, he journeyed in a horse-drawn carriage from his inauguration at the national parliament to the presidential palace, the route thronged by thousands of joyous Jakartans who helped elect him for five years on July 9.

The recent Jakarta governor and former furniture exporter is the first non-political insider to take the nation’s helm since Reformasi in 1998.

He was welcomed at the palace by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose two terms in office saw Indonesia and Australia draw closer than at any time since the republic’s foundation in 1945.

Mr Abbott attended the inauguration ceremony with the leaders of Malaysia, Najib Tun Razak, and Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, as well as US Secretary of State John Kerry, with whom he later had a bilateral meeting to discuss the war with Islamic State among other issues.

The Prime Minister also met Mr Joko for about 30 minutes, longer than planned.

Mr Joko emphasised the need for open lines of communication between Jakarta and Canberra, and encouraged Mr Abbott to raise any problems with Indonesia’s ambassador to Canberra, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema.

Recalling that John Howard attended Dr Yudhoyono’s inauguration a decade ago, Mr Abbot said “I am very honoured to be here.”

Mr Abbott was optimistic the bilateral relationship with Indonesia, disrupted recently by revelations of Australian spying, would strengthen under Mr Joko. “I’m very encouraged by everything that President Jokowi has said up until now — I really am encouraged,” Mr Abbott said. “He’s obviously a charismatic and inspirational figure. I think there’s a wave of confidence and renewal sweeping Indonesia right now and I’m looking forward to Australia’s opportunities to take part in the renewal and the reinvigoration of this important neighbour and partner.”

Mr Joko and Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, however, face an array of political and economic problems. They include a hostile opposition majority in the parliament, GDP growth predicted by the World Bank to slow from 5.8 per cent last year to 5.2 per cent this year, and an unfeasible 2015 national budget passed during the Yudhoyono administration’s final months.

The new President, whose governing experience is limited to two years as Jakarta’s governor and previously as mayor of Solo in central Java, has already been forced to crimp his reformist ambitions of a largely technocratic cabinet by allocating 16 of 34 ministerial positions to party political allies.

He is expected tonight to create several new cabinet positions, notably a (senior) minister for maritime affairs and the environment.

In his inauguration speech, he undertook to make his nation of 17,000 islands into a maritime economic power.

“I would like to call all fellow Indonesians to remember one thing stated by Sukarno (the founding president): ‘In order to build Indonesia into a strong, nation we need the spirit of courage to face the waves,” Mr Joko told the joint sitting of parliament after his swearing-in.

“As captain of the ship I would like to call everyone to come aboard the ship of Indonesia and to say to them we will sail and we will face all storms and waves based on our strengths.”

Mr Joko’s inauguration was attended by the defeated presidential candidate and de facto opposition leader, Prabowo Subianto, and his ally Aburizal Bakrie, chairman of Golkar, the second largest party in the new House of Represen-tatives. Mr Prabowo and Mr Bakrie have been threatening since the presidential election to use their Red and White Coalition (KMP) majority in the House to frustrate the new administration’s programs.