TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo participated in the National Batik Day today, Wednesday, October 2, 2013. The governor said he never donned a batik shirt at random.
“I like dark or calm-colored batik,” Jokowi said at the City Hall today, adding that he was also finicky about the type of fabric. “It must be made of cotton, so it’s cool,” he said.
The alumnus of the Gadjah Mada University’ Forestry Faculty wore today a golden brown batik shirt imbued with a motif of of large lotuses, tendrils, and butterflies. The governor said his wife, Iriana Jokowi, gave him the batik shirt. “The motif is called gebyak,” he said.
Jokowi said each batik had its own philosophy. But when asked about the meaning of the batik he was wearing, the governor laughed. “Why don’t you ask the one who made this,” he said.
Jokowi said he was looking for a batik motif representing the capital. “We need a signature motif to represent Jakarta,” he said.
SYAILENDRA