Yogyakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Tuesday continued his tour of the Central Java region where he inaugurated seven new roads connecting a number of small cities in Yogyakarta.
Joined by Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadiulyono, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, the President officiated the new roads connecting Yogyakarta's four regencies, Gunung Kidul, Kulon Progo, Sleman and Bantul.
Jokowi said that the opening of the seven new roads was proof that his administration did not only prioritize building new toll roads, which are accessible only to the rich.
"Through projects under my Presidential Instruction [Inpres], we will also repair roads not included in the national network," he said.
The President has spent the past few days touring the eastern and southern part of Central Java, which has long been deemed the stronghold of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which nominated former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo as its presidential candidate.
Critics have said that the President's trip to Central Java, with an itinerary which included the distribution of social assistance (Bansos), the handing out of land certificates and the inauguration of new infrastructure projects had been part of covert canvassing to push voters toward his preferred presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.
Many of Jokowi's trips to Central Java in the past few months were timed to coincide with those of Ganjar, who also focused mostly on cities in the southern part of the province.