TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo received a special gift from former first lady Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, the wife of late ex-Indonesian president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid. Sinta put the gift, a brown peci—traditional Indonesian cap—that used to belong to the former president, on the governor’s head.
“Why a peci? Because Jokowi and Gus Dur shared the same philosophies, which are gitu aja kok repot (why all the fuss?), field inspections, and refusing knotty bureaucracy,” Gus Dur’s daughter Yenni Wahid said as Sinta put the peci on Jokowi’s head at the Wahid Institute, Jl. Taman Amir Hamzah, Central Jakarta, Thursday, September 26, 2013.
Sinta and Yenni presented the peci when Jokowi arrived at the Wahid Institute as a key speaker in the commemoration of the institute’s ninth anniversary. “Yes, this peci fits my head perfectly,” the governor said, smiling. The former Solo mayor later donned the peci and tilted it a bit, emulating Gus Dur’s style.
Jokowi said he admired the fourth Indonesian president due to many reasons, among them was his sense of humor. “Gus Dur had a lot of jokes,” he said. “That’s why I liked seeing him, because he always told funny stories. His peci also fits my head perfectly.”
LINDA TRIANITA