Jakarta (ANTARA) - Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Ma'ruf Amin took their oath of office respectively as Indonesia's President and Vice President for the 2019-2024 period in an official swearing-in ceremony taking place at the Parliament Building in Jakarta on Oct 20, 2019.
The presidential inauguration ceremony was conducted smoothly and peacefully amid tight security measure with some 31 thousand police and military officers deployed in the capital city.
In his inaugural address, Jokowi said his administration in the second five-year presidential term will prioritize human resources development, infrastructure, and debureaucratization to encourage investment that could create job opportunities.
Foreign dignitaries attending the inauguration ceremony included 17 heads of state and governments as well as special envoys, and 168 foreign ambassadors, according to Head of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo.
Among the foreign leaders were Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad; Brunei Darussalam’s Sultan Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, King of Eswatini Mswati III, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen and China's Vice President Wang Qishan.
The foreign leaders held separate meetings with President Jokowi prior to the inauguration and expressed their commitment to strengthen bilateral ties with Indonesia.
"They have expressed commitment to continuously strengthen bilateral cooperation with Indonesia. The President expressed gratitude for the presence of the guests including those coming from far away, to attend this inauguration ceremony," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi told the media at the Merdeka Palace.
In the meantime, Chief of the Indonesian Defences Forces (TNI) Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto earlier said the military and the Indonesian Police (Polri) deployed several helicopters, drones and Boeing aircraft for air security during the presidential inauguration.
"For air security, TNI and Polri maintain the coordination," Tjahjanto said, after he and Polri Chief General Tito Karnavian checked security situation in Jakarta, particularly in the Parliament Building and Presidential Palace areas, ahead of the inauguration.
Several helicopters were deployed to secure areas around the Presidential Palace and Parliament Building, the location of the presidential inauguration ceremony.
TNI also deployed Boeing aircraft to conduct aerial monitoring of every movement in certain posts considered critical.
"We also deploy drones that keep on watching over across the capital city area against possible threat," the military chief said.
The Indonesian Police’s counterterrorism squad Densus 88 had earlier arrested tens of terrorist suspects across Indonesia over the last several weeks, following a stabbing incident that injured Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Minister Wiranto in Pandeglang, Banten Province, recently.
Prior to the inauguration, President Jokowi revealed that his new cabinet line-up to be announced on Monday (Oct 21) will feature many fresh faces including professionals and millennials, and few old hands.
Few old hands would remain in the cabinet to continue their works for the next period. However, there would be many fresh faces in strategic positions, he said.
He noted that 55 percent of the ministerial positions will be filled in by professionals. Millennials below 30 years of age will also be included in the cabinet line-up.
Jokowi had earlier held separate meetings with Democrat Party Chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on October 10 and Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto on October 11, as well as with Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Zulkifli Hasan on October 14, 2019.
They mulled possibility of the three parties joining Jokowi’s coalition, but decision is yet to be made. The Democratic Party, Gerinda and PAN as well as the Justice Prosperous Party (PAN) supported Prabowo Subianto as presidential candidate during the presidential elections held on April 17, 2019.
Hidayat Nur Wahid, senior politician of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), recently said his party leader was ready to meet President Jokowi but awaiting an opportune time, most likely after the announcement of new cabinet line-up.
PKS is not interested in joining the government’s coalition and not seeking a ministerial post, as the party has decided to remain critical and constructive opposition.
Jokowi was re-elected as Indonesia's president for the 2019-2024 period based on the April 17 presidential election results.
Jokowi and his running mate, Ma'ruf Amin, won 55.5 percent of the vote as against 44.5 percent secured by the pair of retired general Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno.
The 2019 election was a replay of the contentious 2014 presidential election that exposed a deep national divide, as Jokowi and Subianto went head-to-head.
Jokowi was supported by 10 political parties grouped in the Indonesia Working Coalition (KIK) -- the ruling PDIP, PKB, PPP, Golkar, Nasdem, PSI, Perindo, PKPI, Hanura, and the latest one, PBB -- during the presidential election.
The Indonesian Justice Prosperity Coalition comprising Gerindra, PKS, PAN, Democratic Party, and Berkarya carried Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Sandiaga Uno in the 2019 presidential election. The coalition was declared defunct by Prabowo following the announcement of the election results in May.
