Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Djarot Saiful Hidayat officially became Jakarta deputy governor after being sworn in by Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama at City Hall on Wednesday.



The deputy governor seat in Jakarta had been vacant for about a month after Ahok left the position in October when he replaced Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo as Jakarta governor, following Jokowi's inauguration as the country's seventh president on Oct. 20 this year. Both Ahok and Djarot will serve as Jakarta's leaders until October 2017. Jokowi and Ahok were inaugurated as governor and deputy governor in October 2012.



Djarot, a House of Representatives member, was not Ahok's first choice for the position. He repeatedly named senior city official Sarwo Handayani as his favorite candidate. However, after meeting with PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, Ahok, who now has no political affiliation, then picked Djarot.



Djarot is known to have strongly opposed the construction of malls and minimarkets during his tenure as Blitar mayor from 2000 to 2010. Djarot is also well-known for having reformed the bureaucracy of the Blitar city administration.



Djarot's appointment was approved by President Jokowi through Presidential Decree (Keppres) No.144/P 2014, which was signed on Dec. 15. During the inauguration, the 52-year-old was accompanied by his 47-year-old wife Happy Farida and daughters 13-year-old Safira Prameswari, 11-year-old Karunia Dwihapsa Paramasari and 8-year-old Meisya Rizki.



Speaking to reporters after his inauguration, Djarot said that as deputy governor he would be in charge of going on blusukan (impromptu visits), a trademark of Jokowi as governor.



'I will go on blusukan to urban villages. I will not just visit, but I will have dialogues and discussions with the residents,' Djarot said.



Djarot said that he intended to better the lives of Jakartans by fulfilling their basic needs. 'I want to make sure that their stomachs, brains and wallets are full,' Djarot said.



In the long term, he said that he would also help micro and small entrepreneurs by revitalizing traditional markets and limiting the number of minimarkets in Jakarta, a similar strategy to the one he used in Blitar.



Dozens of city officials, councilors and public figures attended the inauguration, including PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and City Council speaker Prasetyo Edi Marsudi.



Ahok said that he was happy to finally have a deputy after almost one month of being 'single'. He said that he chose Djarot because the latter was proven to have a good character, even after 10 years in power as Blitar mayor.



'The most effective way to test a person's character is to give him power. I admire Pak Djarot because he had power for more than 10 years [as Blitar mayor], but he proved to have integrity and honesty. Pak Djarot has a good character,' he said.

Your premium period will expire in 0 day(s) close x Subscribe to get unlimited access Get 50% off now