President Jokowi’s ‘Ordinary’ Style: Simplicity and the ‘Wealth of Poverty’?

Synopsis

Indonesia’s recently-elected President Joko Widodo has captured the attention of the world media by his manner of dress and unassuming character. But this simple self-presentation has a long history in Southeast Asia, where assuming an ordinary character is also a form of cultural capital that carries huge symbolic power.

Commentary

INDONESIA’S PRESIDENT Joko Widodo (Jokowi) made international headlines recently when he flew economy-class from Jakarta to Singapore with his wife to attend the graduation ceremony of their son. Jokowi’s aide pointed out during the trip that the “President was travelling as a father, and not in his official capacity as President”, and thus did not avail himself the use of the presidential aircraft normally used for official visits.

His quick and quiet trip however, was reported across Asia and the West, and it was noted by many media commentators that this marked an impressive and visible shift from the style of leadership of previous Indonesian presidents, whose visits, and official events were often characterised by the show of pomp and grandeur.

Two Cultures of Power

It is, however, important to note that President Jokowi’s plain and simple style does have long historical precedents in Southeast Asia, and that he is not the only leader who has opted to go down the path of simplicity and modesty, although he may well be the most manifest in recent years.

Asian societies have always had two very different cultures of power and wealth, each with its own register of meaning and symbols. While it is true that in the pre-modern precolonial era power and wealth were often understood and expressed in demonstrative ways – through the construction of vast temple and palace complexes, complicated and formalised codes of dress, and arcane rites and rituals of courtly behaviour; there has also been another equally long tradition of power-accumulation that rests upon the deliberate (and publicly-visible) rejection of the very same symbols of power and social status.

Southeast Asian epics and myths are full of examples of men (and women) of power and high social standing who deliberately cast aside the symbols of power and wealth: In the Jataka Buddhist tale of Prince Vesantara (Wetsandon), the Prince gives away all his belongings, including the sacred white elephant as well as his own children, on his path of self-realisation – before he is accepted as a truly noble man deserving of power.

In Java, where Jokowi hails from, there are plentiful tales of rulers and nobles (both real and fictional) who gave up their lives of luxury to meditate in caves and mountains – only to gain even more spiritual power and moral legitimacy.In these instances, the negation of the symbols of power and wealth do not make the individual weaker or poorer, but more powerful instead. It is a case of the ‘poverty of wealth’ being replaced by the ‘wealth of poverty’, where assuming a life of simplicity purifies the individual’s persona, adds to his social charisma and to his store of cultural capital as well.