Priyo Budi Santoso, Wonosobo – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo shared an interesting insight into a conversation he had with the Prime Minister of Australia. The President disclosed that the Australian Prime Minister admitted feeling "incapable" of managing Indonesia, emphasizing the complexity of the task.

"Prime Minister of Australia once said to me, 'President Jokowi, I wouldn't be able to handle Indonesia if I was asked to,'" President Joko Widodo said during the distribution of the government's food aid at a state logistics company Bulog's warehouse in Temanggung, Central Java, on Monday.

The President did not specify which Australian Prime Minister he was referring to, nor did he provide details about when this candid conversation took place.

Jokowi highlighted the intricacies of governing Indonesia, citing the vast population of 280 million, ranking fourth in the world, spread across 17,000 islands, all with a fundamental need for rice.

"It's called managing a country; managing a country is not easy. Talk is cheap, but if you want things to go well, it's different. Sitting comfortably in the palace, with cold air conditioning, and enjoying meals is nice. But overseeing work, controlling projects, and monitoring – even with supervision, there are still many challenges," said Jokowi.

He continued to emphasize the enormous size of Indonesia, comprising 514 cities and regencies, and the unique challenge of having 17,000 islands. According to Jokowi, no other country in the world possesses as many islands as Indonesia.

During his official visit to Temanggung, President Jokowi distributed food aid, including rice, oil, and sugar, to thousands of residents. This government assistance was targeted at an additional 700,000 newly registered beneficiary families. The total number of beneficiary families increased from 21.3 million in 2023 to the current 22 million.

The monthly distribution of 10 kilograms of rice is part of the government's initiative to provide economic support to low-income communities facing the challenges of El Nino. The aid is expected to assist people in meeting their monthly consumption needs.

President Jokowi affirmed that the distribution of aid will continue until March 2024 and there is a potential for an extension into April through June 2024.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/jokowi-reveals-australian-pms-candid-admission-about-managing-indonesi