Jokowi Calls for Equality during ASEAN Summit Inauguration

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo inaugurated the 43rd ASEAN Summit with a warning. He said that ASEAN members ought to honor equality amidst the worsening global conditions.

"Equality, as I see it, becomes a rarity in the world," said Jokowi in his opening remarks at Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

Jokowi mentioned that injustice and conflicts are the result of inequality. However, he stressed that ASEAN is different. According to Jokowi, equality is an honored value in ASEAN.

Equality in ASEAN, Jokowi added, is placed within the framework of unity and togetherness which propels the great ship of ASEAN forward. He believed all ASEAN members have a similar sense of pride and love toward the community.

Thus, Indonesia as a member and chair of ASEAN in 2023 emphasized that the unity in ASEAN is well-maintained. However, Jokowi highlighted that unity does not equal the absence of differences in opinions.

As a country with an abundance of tribes, cultures, and religions, Jokowi mentioned that Indonesia saw unity as harmony within diversity. The difference in opinions, he said, will nourish democracy in the country.

"Let's realize an equal and mutually beneficial cooperation to sail together toward the epicentrum of growth," he concluded.

RIANI SANUSI PUTRI

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