I asked him, 'if you do not mind, perhaps I will call you only Jokowi', and that was the very beginning of the story.Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo uncloaked the story behind his nickname "Jokowi" through some social media posts on his official Twitter and Instagram accounts visited on Monday.
"My name is Joko Widodo, but I am called Jokowi, and it was given by a French, Bernard Chene," as Jokowi wrote in the caption section.
Bernard Chene, 78, is Jokowi’s business partner since he ran a furniture business.
Jokowi attached a several-minute-long video to the posts of Chene elucidating stories on how he was initially on finding the given name.
Answering the question of "what is the story behind 'Jokowi' name you gave," Chene explained the simple reason that the French usually have short nicknames while "Joko Widodo" sounds too long.
"I asked him, 'if you do not mind, perhaps I will call you only Jokowi', and that was the very start of the story," Chene stated.
The name was only used between Chene and Widodo, though it is currently a popular name among Indonesians and also worldwide.
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Translator: Agus Salim, Suwanti
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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