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Joko Widodo

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Joko Widodo is a famous leader from Indonesia. Many people call him Jokowi.

Official Portrait of Joko Widodo as the Mayor of Surakarta
Official Portrait of Joko Widodo as the Mayor of Surakarta

He was born on 21 June 1961 in Surakarta. His family lived in a riverside slum when he was young. This part of his life shaped his views on helping people. He was the first president not from the country's political or military elite. This made his rise to power very special for Indonesia. He wanted to bring new ideas to how the country works.

Before he led the whole country, he learned to lead cities. He started as the mayor of Surakarta in 2005.

Mayor of Surakarta and Vice Mayor of Surakarta in wayang costumes
Mayor of Surakarta and Vice Mayor of Surakarta in wayang costumes

He also served as the governor of Jakarta from 2012 to 2014. In these roles, he used a method called blusukan. This means he made unannounced visits to local areas.

Jokowi blusukan
Jokowi blusukan

He would walk through markets and slums to listen to people. This helped him see real problems like flooding or poor healthcare. He used these visits to make his government work better for everyone.

Jokowi's path to leadership began with hard work in business. After university, he worked at a pine plantation in Sumatra. Later, he started his own furniture company called Rakabu. He used a loan from his father and a bank to start it.

Official Portrait of Joko Widodo as the Mayor of Surakarta
Official Portrait of Joko Widodo as the Mayor of Surakarta

His company sold teak furniture to many parts of the world. A customer in France gave him the nickname Jokowi. By 2002, he was leading a group of furniture makers. This business success helped him prepare for his political career.

In 2014, Jokowi was elected as the seventh president of Indonesia.

He won the election against Prabowo Subianto. He served two terms, from 2014 until 2024. During this time, he focused on building roads, bridges, and ports. Because of this work, people called him the "Father of Indonesian Infrastructure." He also worked on big plans for schools and health. He even started moving the national capital to a place called Nusantara.

His time as president brought many different views from the people. He helped the economy grow and improved social programs. However, some people worried about how democracy was working in the country.

Tolak Omnibus Law
Tolak Omnibus Law

There were also debates about how his family joined politics. In 2024, Prabowo Subianto won the next election with Jokowi's son. This caused some tension with Jokowi's political party, the PDI-P. Even with these debates, he left office with a 75% approval rating.

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🖼️ Images & Media (37)
File:Official Portrait of Joko Widodo as the Mayor of Surakarta.jpg
Official Portrait of Joko Widodo as the...
File:Mayor of Surakarta and Vice Mayor of Surakarta in wayang costumes.jpg
Mayor of Surakarta and Vice Mayor of...
File:Jokowi blusukan.jpg
Jokowi blusukan.jpg
File:Jokowi selfie with Prabowo and reporters.jpg
Jokowi selfie with Prabowo and reporters.jpg
File:Joko Widodo Palu earthquake Petobo residential.jpg
Joko Widodo Palu earthquake Petobo residential.jpg
File:Tolak Omnibus Law.jpg
Tolak Omnibus Law.jpg
File:Joko Widodo at the opening ceremony of COP26 (10).jpg
Joko Widodo at the opening ceremony of...
File:P20221114AS-0411 (52650920511).jpg
P20221114AS-0411 (52650920511).jpg
File:Jokowi Xi Jinping 2015.jpg
Jokowi Xi Jinping 2015.jpg
File:Marcoses and Jokowi 3.jpg
Marcoses and Jokowi 3.jpg
File:2024 Indonesian local election law protests, 22 August 2024, Jeromi Mikhael 85.jpg
2024 Indonesian local election law...
File:2024 Indonesian local election law protests, 22 August 2024, Jeromi Mikhael 55.jpg
2024 Indonesian local election law...

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