Alone, Indonesia – On a visit to the city of Surakarta, also known as Solo, it might seem that Indonesian President Joko Widodo has many friends.
It seems almost everyone in Solo has met the president, popularly known as Jokowi.
It was here that Jokowi embarked on his political career, becoming mayor of the city in 2005 and remaining in office for seven years before becoming governor of Jakarta and finally, in 2014, president of Indonesia.
Many Solo residents describe the president as a “personal friend” and are quick to show photos of the times he visited their homes or neighborhoods.
Jokowi's last term as president will end this year after Indonesians go to the polls to elect their next leader on February 14.
The end of his second term is an opportunity not only for the people of Solo, but also for Indonesians as a whole, to reflect on the legacy of a man who was the first to emerge from outside the traditional political elite to lead the country.
Notoharjo Market
At the start of his political career, Jokowi, famous for owning a furniture business before becoming a politician, was hailed as a breath of fresh air.
One of the highlights of Jokowi's tenure as mayor of Solo was his negotiations with market traders who sold their wares around the city's national monument, clogging surrounding streets and causing congestion.
At the time, Indonesian officials had a reputation for pursuing heavy-handed policies that did not take into account the needs of the local population, and Jokowi was praised when he personally met with traders and negotiated a solution to move them to Notoharjo market, approx. 10 minutes away, where they would have a dedicated place to sell their wares.
Edy Saryanto, who sells electronics in Notoharjo, said Jokowi personally met with merchants on four or five occasions to discuss the measure.
It was a gesture he appreciated.
“Jokowi told me: 'Don't worry, the government is here to facilitate this.' They wanted to find a win-win solution and they achieved it,” Saryanto said.
He moved to Notoharjo in 2007 and said his earnings increased significantly as a result. Other market traders agree, including Ferry Setiawan, which sells spare parts for cars and motorcycles.
“As mayor, he [Jokowi] was successful and there was no conflict between the different parties at the time of the move. We have been very successful and our profits have tripled,” he told Al Jazeera.
To sweeten the deal, Jokowi gave each merchant $322 to help them during the move and allow them to start over at the new location.
“I would say 95 percent of merchants were successful after the measure,” Setiawan said. “I felt happy because he was helping people who needed his help. Jokowi was always there for the people when he was in Solo.”
Once the market traders were moved from the national monument, it was converted into a park with a children's play area and became one of the most popular recreation spots in Solo.
Family friend Slamet Raharjo said Jokowi's ambitions to improve Solo's green spaces were inspired by his visits to other countries.
“I wanted to do the best I could for Solo and improve the economy. He often traveled abroad and saw how people from other countries liked to walk, so he built sidewalks and parks so that people here could do the same. He also improved public transportation so Solo could evolve,” he stated.
Raharjo first met Jokowi when they were both in the furniture business and said Jokowi seemed like a new beginning for Solo, who came to politics as an unusual candidate who did not belong to the political or religious elite.
“It's just a unique city, and at that time, we needed a new figure who didn't have a negative history,” Raharjo said.
“He worked very hard for us.”
unpleasant problems
But while residents continued to support Jokowi, their skepticism grew as he advanced in politics.
As he prepares to leave the presidency, there is now disappointment.
“I strongly supported him when he became president and I was proud because he was from Solo,” said market trader Ferry Setiawan.
“But in the end he still hasn't become a good leader.”
Setiawan said one of the most striking issues of Jokowi's presidency was last year's controversial Constitutional Court decision on the minimum age for presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
The court, led by Jokowi's brother-in-law Anwar Usman, allowed those who had previously served as elected officials to run for senior office even if they were under the official minimum age of 40. The decision allowed Jokowi's son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, to run as presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto's running mate.
“I was disappointed,” Setiawan said. “There was no democracy in the decision of the Constitutional Court. I was embarrassed by the obvious nepotism but, as it was his second term, perhaps Jokowi felt that he needed to find a way to stay in power.”
“Maybe everyone would do the same and try to take care of their children.”
Raharjo also said he struggled to understand his close friend, who appeared to have been the driving force behind Gibran's sudden entry into politics.
“Before, I could usually read their thoughts,” Raharjo said.
“But now I find it difficult to follow his thought process. All of his close friends are confused but we are not surprised. If Jokowi wants to do something, he must have calculated everything and weighed everything mentally. If he has taken that political position, there must be a reason.”
Speculation (later dispelled) that Jokowi might try to seek a third term also made his supporters nervous.
Under Indonesia's constitution, presidents can only serve two terms, or a maximum of 10 years, in office.
“At first I heard that he tried to extend his presidency for a third term because of the pandemic. It wasn’t good,” Setiawan said.
“He was like a best friend to me, but now I don't like his policies.”
Other sources in Solo, including members of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the party that backed Jokowi's presidency, told Al Jazeera that Jokowi had sent a representative to ask Megawati Soekarnoputri, leader of the PDI-P , his blessing to seek a third term, but that the request had been denied after Megawati deemed it “unconstitutional.”
Jokowi has always denied any aspiration to serve a third term or having been directly involved in any negotiations on the issue.
Megawati, the daughter of Indonesia's first post-independence president, is a former vice president and president, and has said publicly that Jokowi did not personally ask her if she could extend her presidency for a third term, but did confirm that he would have done so. been unconstitutional to do so.
Economic success
Management consultant and Solo resident Indrawan also feels conflicted with the outgoing president.
“Jokowi was an excellent mayor and I saw him almost every day, but when he became governor [of Jakarta], he changed and I rarely saw him after that. It seems like she is not the same person anymore,” she said.
Like others in Solo, Indrawan was highly critical of the Constitutional Court's decision, but added that there were other problems with Jokowi's legacy, including growing corruption.
Indonesia is now a more corrupt country than when Jokowi took office, ranking 115th out of 180 countries surveyed. In 2014, when Jokowi was elected, Indonesia ranked 107th out of 175 countries according to Transparency International.
Several of his ministers have also faced corruption allegations that are still under investigation or have resulted in prison sentences, prompting criticism in Solo that the president allowed corruption to flourish.
Among them are former Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, former Minister of Communication and Information Technology Johnny Gerard Plate, former Minister of Social Affairs Idrus Marham, former Minister of Youth and Sports , Imam Nahrawi. , the former Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Edhy Prabowo, and the former Minister of Social Affairs, Juliari Batubara.
Despite concerns about democratic processes and corruption, Jokowi remains popular across Indonesia, with polls showing his approval rating as he leaves office at around 80 percent.
Natalie Sambhi, executive director of Verve Research, an independent think tank focused on Southeast Asian security, and a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said it is the result of “the most successful elements of his legacy.”
“In particular, this includes its tireless pursuit of development through better infrastructure, increased investment, reduction of bureaucracy and job creation,” he said.
Last year, the economy grew more than 5 percent.
“But we can certainly debate whether the means Jokowi took to achieve his goals – namely controversial legislation, the weakening of some democratic institutions and the installation of his son as a vice presidential candidate – were right or fair.”
As Jokowi prepares to leave office, it appears that some of those most affected by his complicated legacy remain the people of Solo, still struggling to reconcile the realities of the outgoing president with the man they once thought they knew.
“I'm very disappointed in him,” said management consultant Indrawan.
“And I say that as a friend.”
