This year's Eid al-Fitr will be the first in three years to be celebrated without any COVID-19-related restrictions, he pointed out.
"It is certain that residents' movement will significantly increase, (it will be) more congested, and more crowded. Hence, I ask ladies and gentlemen and all of you to be careful during your travel (to hometowns) and while joining the return flow," he said in a video broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel on Friday.
In the video, the President also conveyed his greetings for Eid al-Fitr, which, according to the Religious Affairs Ministry, has been determined to fall on Saturday (April 22, 2023).
"Happy Eid al-Fitr 1444 Hijri. Please forgive my wrongdoings. I hope all of our deeds during Ramadan will be accepted by the Almighty God," Jokowi said.
The President will celebrate Eid al-Fitr with his family in Surakarta, Central Java. He was in his hometown since Wednesday (April 19).
However, on Friday noon, he returned to Jakarta to attend the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) agenda in Bogor, West Java, where party chair Megawati Soekarnoputri announced the nomination of Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo as the party's candidate for the 2024 Presidential race.
He reportedly arrived back at Surakarta's Adi Soemarmo Air Force Base at 4:40 p.m. local time (UTC +7) after attending his party's agenda in Bogor.
Earlier, the President said that he will not hold an open house during Eid al-Fitr this year in order to allow state officials to celebrate the festival with their families.
"This is my third year without mass iftar or open house. I am giving flexibility for all to (celebrate Eid by) meeting with their extended families, best friends, or neighbors," he said in Depok, West Java, on Thursday (April 13).
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Translator: Gilang Galiartha, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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