31 Facts About Joko Widodo

1.

Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the seventh and current president of Indonesia.

2.

Joko Widodo previously served as governor of Jakarta from 2012 to 2014 and mayor of Surakarta from 2005 to 2012.

3.

Joko Widodo graduated from Gadjah Mada University in 1985, and married his wife, Iriana, a year later.

4.

Joko Widodo worked as a carpenter and a furniture exporter before being elected mayor of Surakarta in 2005.

5.

Joko Widodo achieved national prominence as mayor and was elected governor of Jakarta in 2012, with Basuki Tjahaja Purnama as his deputy.

6.

Joko Widodo introduced years-late programs to improve quality of life, including universal healthcare, dredged the city's main river to reduce flooding, and inaugurated the construction of the city's subway system.

7.

Joko Widodo was re-elected in 2019 for a second five-year term, again defeating Prabowo Subianto.

8.

Joko Widodo is the eldest of four siblings and is the only son of Noto Mihardjo and Sudjiatmi Notomihardjo.

9.

Joko Widodo has three younger sisters, named Iit Sriyantini, Ida Yati, and Titik Relawati.

10.

Joko Widodo's father came from Karanganyar, while his grandparents came from a village in Boyolali.

11.

Joko Widodo continued his studies at State Junior High School 1 Surakarta.

12.

Joko Widodo 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.

13.

Joko Widodo began working in his grandfather's furniture factory for a year before establishing his own company, Rakabu, whose namesake is his first child.

14.

Joko Widodo adopted the development framework of European cities as a guide for changes in Surakarta.

15.

Joko Widodo prohibited his family members from bidding for city projects, therefore suppressing the risk of corruption.

16.

Joko Widodo's policies brought him into conflict with then provincial governor Bibit Waluyo, who on one occasion called Jokowi a "fool" for the latter's opposition to a provincial construction project in Surakarta.

17.

Joko Widodo's supporters pointed to rapid positive changes in Surakarta under his leadership and the city's branding with the motto 'Solo: The Spirit of Java'.

18.

Joko Widodo was later chosen as the 'Tempo Leader of Choice' by Tempo news magazine and received a 'Changemakers Award' from Republika newspaper ; his name 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.

19.

Joko Widodo conducted a total of three cabinet reshuffles until 2018, removing ministers such as Rizal Ramli and Bambang Brodjonegoro while including ministers such as Luhut and World Bank Director Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

20.

Joko Widodo was criticised by PDI-P over perceived policy weaknesses, and PDI-P legislator Effendi Simbolon called for his impeachment.

21.

Joko Widodo 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.

22.

Joko Widodo retained several ministers such as Sri Mulyani and Luhut but included Gojek founder Nadiem Makarim and two-time presidential rival Prabowo Subianto as education and defence ministers, respectively.

23.

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".

24.

Joko Widodo argued the law was necessary to defend the national ideology, Pancasila.

25.

Joko Widodo 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 and the Pacific Ocean.

26.

Joko Widodo 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.

27.

Joko Widodo 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.

28.

Joko Widodo is a fan of other metal bands including Lamb of God, Carcass and Napalm Death.

29.

Joko Widodo has been noted by many to be very similar in appearance to former US president Barack Obama; his outsider political profile inspired comparisons to Obama.

30.

Joko Widodo had been practicing Setia Hati Terate style from Persaudaraan Setia Hati Terate school since his time at junior high school and eventually mastering it.

31.

Joko Widodo attained first degree pendekar warga rank of the silat school on 16 November 2013.