Jokowi swarmed by crowds during leisure walk in Kupang City

Kupang (ANTARA) - The 7th President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, became the centre of attention and was swarmed by residents of Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara, during a leisure walk held for Car Free Day on El Tari Street, Kupang.

Observations at the location, specifically in front of the East Nusa Tenggara Governor’s office on Saturday, showed that residents immediately gathered as soon as they realised Jokowi was passing through El Tari Street. Many citizens attempted to approach him to offer greetings, shake hands, and capture the moment through selfies and video recordings on their mobile phones.

Amidst the crowd, several children also crowded the streets to catch a glimpse of Jokowi. One child, carried on a parent’s shoulders, even expressed his admiration, shouting, “Mr Jokowi, I am a fan of yours!”

Jokowi paused his walk several times to accommodate requests for photos with the public. He also took the time to greet people along the Car Free Day route with waves, which were met with great enthusiasm.

Furthermore, local MSME vendors reported that their products were completely sold out due to the influx of visitors drawn by Jokowi’s presence. “Everything is gone today, and even faster than usual. Before 09:00 WITA, the goods had already been bought by visitors,” one vendor remarked.

The leisure walk at the Car Free Day area was one of Jokowi’s scheduled activities during his stay in Kupang. Previously, Jokowi arrived in East Nusa Tenggara on Friday to attend several engagements. On Saturday at 15:00 WITA, Jokowi is scheduled to attend the Elephant Festival in the Lai Lai Besi Kopan (LLBK) sub-district of Kupang City. He is also slated to attend a Regional Coordination Meeting (Rakorda) and other agendas during his visit to Kupang.