"I want to complete my duties here in Surabaya. I appreciate all the support given to me, but I shall like to keep taking care of this city,Surabaya (ANTARA) - Mayor of Surabaya Tri Rismaharini (Risma) has claimed that she refused a ministerial offer from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to join his cabinet as she wanted to complete her job in her current position. "I want to complete my duties here in Surabaya. I appreciate all the support given to me, but I shall like to keep taking care of this city," Risma said in a press conference at her official residence Wednesday.
This is not the first time Risma had rejected such an offer. She did the same thing when she was made an offer in Jokowi's first term.
On September 2019, election-winner-party leader of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Soekarnoputri offered Risma a position in the next cabinet.
"I responded to her that I was not willing to take up the offer," she said.
After the first offer, she was once asked more to occupy the ministerial position by PDI-P member who is now the current Speaker of the House of Representative, Puan Maharani, Risma continued.
"I was on my way to attend the UNICEF event in Germany when Mrs. Maharani called," Risma explained.
Her response was clear that she refused that second offer as well, as she emphasized, "I said no. I wanted to finish my job in Surabaya." (INE)
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Abdul Hakim, Suwanti
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
