Pacitan Residents Find Jokowi More Down to Earth than SBY
10 December 2017 15:24 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of residents of Pacitan Regency, East Java compared the pattern of security measures of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) with the sixth President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) which is considered a far cry.
A resident of Donorojo, an employee named Joko, said on Saturday (9/12) that the security for President Jokowi is less strict compared to that of SBY who is originally from Pacitan.
"When Pak SBY visited Pacitan, the security was very tight. People couldn’t even get close in certain radius," Joko said while waiting forPresiden Jokowi’s visit in Arjosari 1 Junior High School and Islamic School Al Fattah Kikil, in Arjosari, Pacitan.
Joko claimed that despite many National Military and Police personnel deployed, residents can still go about the track and around the areas of the president’s visit.
This is a far cry from the visit of the sixth President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to Pacitan that required the area to be cleared.
"Actually, both are good since the purpose is to ensure the safety of the president. But I have to admit, Pak Jokowi feels closer to the people, more down to earth," he continued.
The same impression was expressed by a number of reporters assigned to Pacitan and they also covered the visits made by former PresidentSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he was in office for two terms.
Despite the fact that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a native Pacitan and considered a pride of the city known as the City of 1001 Caves.
They stated that the security standards of President SBY were much higher, so conflicts occurred both with Presidential Security Detail (paspampres) and National Military personnel guarding the President. "It is really different, indeed. It’s easy for us to get close to and even interview Jokowi," a national electronic media reporter in Pacitan Slamet Widodo said.
President Joko Widodo carried out work visit to Pacitan to supervise hydrometeorological disaster recovery process caused by Cempaka cyclone resulting in flash floods and landslides in a number of areas across southern coast of Java including Yogyakarta, Gunung Kidul, CentralJava up to Pacitan, East Java.
It is Jokowi’s first visit to Pacitan since his presidential term.
Jokowi visited a number of locations including the embankment of Grindulu River in Ploso Village of Pacitan District, Tremas Islamic School, Arjosari 1 Junior High School, and Al Fattah Kikil Islamic School, Arjosari.
ANTARA