63 years of Jokowi, a furniture entrepreneur becomes president for 2 terms

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Presidential Palace declared that President Joko Widodo or Jokowi will not celebrate birthdays. Jokowi's birthday is today, Friday June 21, 2024.

“Today, the president has his office at the Palace as usual. There is no event to celebrate his birthday. He never celebrates birthdays,” said the deputy in charge of protocol, press and media to the Presidential Secretariat, Yusuf Permana, to Tempo via a short message on Friday morning.

Reportedly, Jokowi's activities at the Jakarta Presidential Palace today were internal. In the internal agenda, the President generally brings together ministers for closed meetings or meets certain personalities.

Background and family

According to various sources, Jokowi had a career growing from a successful businessman to the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, was born at Minulyo Hospital on June 21, 1961. He is the first child of Noto Mihardjo and Sujiatmi. Jokowi has three younger sisters: Iit Sriyantini, Ida Yati and Titik Relawati. His father worked as a wood and bamboo seller in Karanganyar, Solo, making his family life far from luxurious. They often struggle to meet basic needs such as school fees and daily meals.

Childhood and education

Jokowi spent his childhood around the Karanganyar River, playing and helping his parents. After school, he often helped his father collect payments from customers and lift lumber. Jokowi's basic education began at SD Negeri 111 Tirtoyoso, a school for the lower middle class in Banjarsari, Solo.

After that, he continued his studies at Surakarta 1 Public Middle School and Surakarta 6 Public High School, although he initially aspired to enter Surakarta 1 Public High School. Jokowi then continued his studies at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta, at the Faculty of Forestry, focusing on wood technology.

Early career as an entrepreneur

After graduating from UGM in 1985, Jokowi worked at PT Kertas Kraft Aceh. However, he decides to return to Solo and start a furniture business. In 1988, he founded CV Rakabu with the capital of a bank loan guaranteed by his parents' land certificate. Through hard work and dedication, Jokowi's furniture business grew and successfully entered the international market.

Political career

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Jokowi entered the political world in 1998 by joining the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP). In 2005 he was elected mayor of Solo with FX Hadi Rudyatmo. His leadership brought many positive changes, including a neater urban layout and the introduction of the Batik Solo Trans bus. In 2012, Jokowi ran for and was elected governor of DKI Jakarta with Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) as his deputy. Some of its popular policies include the Healthy Jakarta Card (KJS) and Smart Jakarta Card (KJP).

President 2 terms

In the 2014 elections, Jokowi ran as a presidential candidate with Jusuf Kalla as his deputy, and they managed to win the elections. Some of his flagship programs as president are the Healthy Indonesia Card (KIS) and the Smart Indonesia Card (KIP). In the 2019 elections, Jokowi was re-elected president with Ma'ruf Amin as his deputy, defeating Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno with a vote of 55.50%.

Private life

Jokowi married Iriana in 1986 and has three children: Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Kahiyang Ayu and Kaesang Pangarep. He also has four grandchildren: Jan Ethes Srinarendra and La Lembah Mana from Gibran, as well as Sedah Mirah Nasution and Al Nahyan Nasution from Kahiyang.

Awards and other facts

Jokowi received the 2012 Marketer of the Year award at the Markplus 2013 conference. The nickname “Jokowi” was given by a French customer, Michl Romaknan, to differentiate him from another furniture entrepreneur named Joko . So far, this name is better known to the public than his real name, Joko Widodo.

Jokowi is a true example of someone who has successfully transformed life's challenges into opportunities for success, both in business and politics.

MICHELLE GABRIELA | DANIEL A. FAJRI

Editor's Pick: June 21 is not just Jokowi's birthday, several other personalities celebrate their birthday