Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has continued the tradition of wearing customary regional attire while delivering his annual State of the Nation address.
This year, he chose to wear the traditional attire of the Tanimbar people, who inhabit a chain of small islands in the southeast of Maluku province.
Arriving at the Senayan legislative compound in South Jakarta at around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jokowi appeared wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with long black pants, a burgundy, gold and black tenun (traditional woven fabric) wrapped around his torso and a black waistband with red stripes and golden thread details.
The President also wore a black feathered headdress typical of Tanimbar clan leaders and an oversized golden coin necklace adorned with rows of seashells.
According to several local reports, the tenun cloth is an ancestral tradition of the Tanimbar people, who weave it from the leaves of fan palm trees.
Meanwhile, First Lady Iriana was seen by his side in a yellow kebaya.
At the same time, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin donned Demang Betawi attire from Jakarta, while House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani wore a traditional dress from the Dayak tribe in West Kalimantan.
At last year's annual address, Jokowi wore the dark green attire of the Bangka Belitung Islands, complete with a golden headdress. Traditional Bangka Belitung dress bears influences from Arabic and Chinese cultures.
The year prior to that, the President wore the all-black attire of the indigenous Baduy people of Lebak regency, Banten, complete with a traditional black-and-blue cap and a hand-woven net bag slung across his chest.
This year's State of the Nation Address is Jokowi's second-last before his term ends in October of next year. (tjs)