Gatot Nurmantyo Says to Beat Jokowi in Spending Time with Family

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo believes that he will be able to beat President Joko WIdodo (Jokowi) in terms of spending more time with his family after he retired on March 31.

“I now take pride in having to beat Pak Jokowi,” said Gatot in an interview during his visit to Tempo's office on Tuesday, March 27.

Furthermore, he said that retiring will enable him to spend more time with his two grandchildren. “President Jokowi couldn’t necessarily do that once a week, but I can do that every day,” said the former Army Chief of Staff.

Taking care of two of his loved grandchildren, Gatot also has set plans to open a chicken farm in Purwakarta, West Java, which he said is currently in its construction process. He is currently working together with a student from the Bogor Agricultural Institute in designing the farm and how to market the products.

Gatot then enthusiastically explained that his farm will reach the break-even point (BEP) in just 2.5-years, considering that the market for chicken farms are currently very lucrative. He also said that he is not worried about paying the wages of his future employees.
“The wage is at a surplus through the chicken’s feces alone,” Gatot continued.

Considering that he has not officially entered his retirement, General Gatot refused to provide a response towards the public assumption that suggests he would run for the 2019 Presidential Election. “I would just like to retire first. I am afraid of the dreams [that I would pursue] later on after I retire,” he said.

The name Gatot Nurmantyo was featured in multiple polls on his quite significant presidential and vice presidential electability. He was also rumored to be close to Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto.

“I am always prepared to serve my nation and country in any way,” said Gatot Nurmantyo.

Arkhelaus Wisnu Triyogo