Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has appealed to workers on Wednesday to not hold mass demonstrations to mark May Day on Thursday.

"They better not take to the streets, to go on strike," he stated.

Jokowi pointed out that holding such demonstrations will only cause losses, not only to the workers, but also other people.

"Besides causing losses, the demonstrations will also create a major social problem. So, they better not take to the streets," he stressed.

According to Jokowi, the cost of holding such demonstrations is not small, but can result in losses worth billions of rupiah.

"The amount of money lost in holding demonstrations is quite a lot, and regrettable, if it is only used for it," he emphasized.

In view of that, he advised them to use the money for other activities that are more productive and beneficial.

"They should instead hold dialogs, which will certainly be more useful and productive than demonstrating on the streets. So, try using the process of holding dialogs," he proposed.

Thousands of workers have planned to hold demonstrations in several locations across the capital city on Thursday and Friday in order to commemorate May Day.

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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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