Antara, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo bid a farewell to North Sumatra locals during a trip to Deli Serdang on Tuesday as his retirement nears.
Jokowi's term will end on Oct. 20. The president plans on spending the rest of his remaining term at the new capital, although he will still travel around the archipelagic Indonesia as usual. As part of a North Sumatra trip, Jokowi visited the Deli Mas traditional market. The president took the opportunity to say goodbye to the locals.
"I would like to apologize if there had been policies that you were unhappy with," Jokowi said.
Jokowi previously made a similar apology when he apologized on a megaphone during a visit to Surabaya last week.
Jokowi also only smiled when reporters asked him about whether he would hold another cabinet shake-up on Tuesday.
Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini has officially resigned to focus on the East Java gubernatorial election. The same goes for Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung who is currently running for Jakarta governor. During a visit to North Sumatra, the press asked Jokowi if the president would appoint new ministers. The president, whose term would end in 40 days, did not respond to the question and just smiled.
Jokowi also talked of his plans to work from the new capital Nusantara starting on Wednesday for the rest of his term. Despite working from the yet-to-be-built city, Jokowi said he would work as usual.
"I will have meetings with my ministers, receive guests, and also launch the groundbreaking ceremonies of the investors," Jokowi said.
He added: "I will also travel around the region, but it's just that I will depart from the new capital. If the new [Nusantara] airport is ready, perhaps I will go from there. If not, I will fly from Balikpapan."
Jokowi is slated to hold a cabinet meeting at Nusantara's presidential palace this week.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/jokowi-bids-farewell-to-north-sumatra-locals-as-retirement-near