Presidential spokesperson Julian Aldrin Pasha said here Wednesday the president would have no objection if every senior state official acquired the car to use it as their official vehicle.
"This (efforts) needs to be appreciated, the president does not forbid state officials to acquire and use the car," he said.
The Kiat Esemka car, a product of Indonesian youths` enterprising spirit and innovativeness, must be highly appreciated and be developed in the future, Julian said.
"The President definitely heard about the Solo students` achievement in successfully assembling a national car," he said.
Priced at Rp 120 million per unit, a Kiat Esemka car is now serving as the official vehicle of Solo Mayor Joko Widodo.
Mayor Joko Widodo was previously reported to be astonished by the car assembled by SMKN 2 (Solo vocational high school) students who had done it in cooperation with KIAT auto body works company in Klaten.
Joko Widodo said his Kiat Esemka car had a quite comfortable interior and the suspension system of the 1500cc vehicle was of good quality and strong.
Of all the materials and components that had gone into the Kiat Esemka 80 percent was local and 20 percent imported.
So far, the students had manufactured only 12 Kiat Esemka units. Two units had been acquired by Solo mayor and his deputy while the rest would be taken by a number of vocational schools in Solo for training projects.
Meanwhile, a number of House of Representatives (DPR) members in Jakarta were also reported to have placed orders for the locally made car.
(Uu.A050/HAJM/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
