AntaraDenpasar (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) was greeted enthusiastically after he greeted the Balinese people in the local language even as he delivered his speech in the pouring rain. President Jokowi greeted the Balinese people while delivering a speech at a simakrama with traditional leaders and Balinese people at the Ardha Chandra Open Stage, Bali, on Friday night.
"Sampunapi gatrane? Becicky? Dumogi rahajeng sareng sami (how are you? Good? Hopefully everyone will prosper)," said President Jokowi.
The Balinese people who were present also cheered enthusiastically and stopped clapping only to hear Jokowi greet them in the local language.
Jokowi on that occasion wore udeng, saput, and safari as Balinese clothes, while First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo wore a pink kebaya with a Balinese bun.
President Jokowi claimed he always learned to speak in the local language every time he visited a new area, even though it was often wrong.
That, said Jokowi, is because Indonesia is a large country with a rich diversity of cultures including a large number of regional languages.
"Our country is a big country in each province in different regions," Jokowi said.
On the same occasion, because he was still in the atmosphere of Nyepi (day of seclusion), the President also congratulated the Balinese people who celebrated Nyepi.
The rain that washed over Ardha Chandra's Open Stage and delayed the agenda of the meeting with President Jokowi did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Balinese people. They did not budge at all and listened to Jokowi's speech despite the heavy rain.
Jokowi even had time to cover a village leader or traditional figure from Tabanan during a dialogue program.
Jokowi's message of unity was presented on this occasion, including the election issue, which he called not war but a democratic party so that he should be welcomed.
Translator: Eliswan Azly
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
