Wearing a bomber jacket of "Raw Type Riot," a local brand, the presidential candidate, who along with running mate Ma`ruf Amin are eyeing victory in the upcoming presidential race, kicked off the fun walk from Kendari`s Monument of Unity.
The incumbent president flagged off the event from the city`s icon at around 7:15 a.m. local time.
"Five, four, three, one," Jokowi counted down the numbers before the throng of passionate residents left the starting line.
Jokowi intentionally ignored number "two" while counting down moments before the flag-off, as it belongs to that of his contender, the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno pair.
Along the city`s roads that the organizing committee had selected to be the route of the fun walk, several passionate residents approached Jokowi for taking pictures.
At the same time, on the side of the road circling the MTQ Square, several street food vendors called out to those joining the fun walk to feel free to sample popular Indonesian dishes, such as Bakso, or meatball soup.
The community members were also served Siomay, steamed fish dumpling with vegetables that can be served with peanut sauce.
"The dishes have been paid by Mr Jokowi," Yuni, a local resident who joined the fun walk, stated.
Aware that the prepared dishes were offered free of cost, the crowds approached the street food stalls to enjoy them, with several even initiating to take the meal along as takeaway.
Jokowi enjoyed the fun walk and reached the finish line at the Monument of Unity though, along the way, he was repeatedly approached by the local residents, who requested to take pictures with him and shake hands.
In connection with the 2019 presidential election, the General Election Commissions (KPU) has prepared five rounds of presidential debates for the Jokowi-Ma`ruf Amin and Subianto-Uno pairs.
The presidential debates, broadcast live by several television channels, are expected to help some 192 million eligible voters, who will participate in this democratic process, to become well-informed on the two pairs` capacity and capability.
Empowered with sufficient information about the candidates, they will be able to vote rationally. Whoever wins the upcoming presidential election, Indonesia will have a new pair of capable president and vice president.
Reporting by Hanni Sofia
Editing by Rahmad Nasution
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Reporter: Antara
Editor: Gusti Nur Cahya Aryani
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
