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President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) along with First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo celebrated Idul Fitri 1440 H the first day in Jakarta. After performing the Id Prayer at Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, both of them were in touch with the community and a number of state officials.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Mrs. Mufidah Kalla also had time to stay together in this activity.

State officials and the community seemed to be packed with tents that were provided to wait for their turn to meet the President and his family.

In the queue which consisted of the majority of the community, it appeared that some of them were Working Cabinet ministers, namely Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, until Chief of Staff of the Presidential Moeldoko.

While in the State Palace's souvenir hall, where the public and state officials are received by the President and First Lady, President Joko Widodo welcomes one by one to his guests with smiles and greetings.

"Happy Eid, apologize for the inner birth," said the President while greeting his guests.

People who want to stay in touch with the President and the First Lady begin to gather at the Monas Cross to get a queue number.

Sapa Residents at Monas

Accompanied by Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, President Jokowi approached the waiting area opposite the main building of the Ministry of State Secretariat. There, the President also greeted the people who were present and sometimes took pictures together.

"Thank you, sir. We have waited a long time, "said one resident who was comforted by the presence of the President in their midst.

"Mr. Jokowi, congratulations Lebaran sir," shouted other residents shouted.

From the Ministry of State Secretariat's page, the President moves towards the Silas Monas area where more people are waiting in line.

Arriving around Silang Monas, President Joko Widodo conveyed an apology for the hundreds or even thousands of people who still crowded the area.

The large number of people present made him unable to serve one by one the requests of citizens to meet and take pictures together.

"I apologize, because there are still many in the Palace who are lining up, there are far more here, so I better come here," the President said.

In addition, the President said, after this event, he still had to leave for Solo to return to his hometown to meet his extended family. The Head of State expressed his gratitude for the enthusiasm of the people who attended even from the morning to meet him.

"Soon I also have to go home. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of you who are willing to be here. Once again, I'm sorry, I can't get photos one by one, "he said.

Before departing to return to the Merdeka Palace, President Joko Widodo finally decided to take pictures with all the people in the area. (kemensetkab)

Minister of Transportation (Menhub), Budi Karya Sumadi said that the implementation of the homecoming flow this year could be said to run more smoothly than the previous year.

"The construction of infrastructure that connects cities to cities in both Java and Sumatra and the preparation of strategies to unravel congestion makes running the homecoming in 2019 run smoothly," said the Minister of Transportation at the Press Conference at the 2019 Integrated Lebaran Transport Post, Tuesday (4/6) .

In 2019, the Minister continued, it was a proof that infrastructure development was very useful for the people from city to city.

"Evidently this year's trip back and forth from Jakarta to Semarang is 6 hours, Jakarta to Solo is 8 hours, Jakarta to Surabaya is less than 10 hours. It was very encouraging, especially for travelers. The community is satisfied because this year's homecoming is going smoothly, "said the Minister of Transportation Budi.

Not only through infrastructure, the Minister added, the success of this year's homecoming is also a good collaboration between stakeholders.

"I appreciate the cooperation of the Central Government with the National Police, the Regional Government which helped facilitate the homecoming. They are working well as there is no congestion in the spilled market, even the Nagrek area which is usually stuck, yesterday was smooth, "explained the Minister of Transportation.

On this occasion, the Minister of Transportation also called on travelers to return to Jakarta on June 6 or 7.

"The peak of the backflow is predicted on June 8 and 9, so I encourage travelers to return to Jakarta on June 6 or 7," the Minister of Transportation said.

This year's accident rate has dropped dramatically

Furthermore, the Minister of Transportation said that the number of traffic accidents decreased by around 60% in the homecoming flow in 2019. He added that this number was quite encouraging, considering that the safety aspect could be improved during the 2019 trip.

"There is a significant data, namely the number of accidents has dropped dramatically to 60% compared to last year. This means that the issues that we have been trying to make going home run smoothly and that safety is successful, "explained Minister of Transportation Budi.

On that occasion, Minister of Transportation Budi added, regulation on the toll road, reducing motorbikes through free hometowns and checking or ramp check on buses also reduced road accidents.

However, the Minister of Transportation reminded travelers to be vigilant especially when returning to Jakarta.

"Usually after a vacation it's tired, keep your body in shape. Rest first if you are tired, "said Minister of Transportation Budi.

Through data from Kakorlantas, the Minister of Transportation said that the number of traffic accidents in 2019 was 336 incidents compared to 2018 which reached 831 incidents. He added that for the 2019 death toll as many as 74 people, while in 2018 it reached 178 people.

"The 2019 serious injuries were 53 people, while in 2018 there were 175 people, and for minor injuries in 2019 there were 351 people, while in 2019 there were 1,082 people," concluded the Minister of Transportation. (kemenhub) 

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) together with First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo performed the Id 1440 H prayer at Istiqlal Mosque, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (5/6). Thousands of Muslims also attended the largest mosque in Southeast Asia.

The president arrived at around 6:45 a.m. and was welcomed by Religious Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, Minister of State Pratikno, and High Priest of Istiqlal Mosque Nasaruddin Umar along with the Chairperson of the Executive Board of the Istiqlal Mosque (BPPMI) Asep Saepudin.

Furthermore, the Head of State first conducts the prayer of the superstition of the mosque before carrying out a series of congregational Id prayers led by Prof. Dr. H. Said Agil Husin Al-Munawar, M.A.

The theme of the sermon in the Id Prayer this time was "Eid Al-Fitr Spreading Sorry Building Togetherness" delivered by the Professor of Interpretation and Hadith of the Jakarta Syarif Hidayatullah UIN.

Said said, in this Islamic Eid moment all Muslims should forgive each other. Allah SWT strongly advocates and enjoys the attitude of giving and receiving forgiveness.

The Qur'an, which is the guideline of the life of Muslims, also teaches people not to fight with each other and spread benefits to others.

"Even the Koran is proven to teach humans to have the nature of mutual love, forgiveness, and creating peace," he said.

In addition to the President, there were also the ranks of the Working Cabinet which included Social Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Minister of Communication and Information Rudiantara, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti, Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, and Deputy Minister ESDM Arcandra Tahar. Also present were representatives from a number of friendly countries. (setkab)

Some 50 thousand Indonesian Muslims performed Eid-al-Fitr prayers in the yard of Taipei Main Station in Taiwan on Wednesday.

Owing to space restrictions in the former intercity bus terminal in Taiwan, the congregation was segregated into three groups, with the first one starting at 6:30 a.m. local time, the second group at 8 a.m. local time, and the third group at 9:15 a.m. local time

Each of the groups were guided by a bilal, imam, and preacher, who are Indonesian citizens.

Taipei Mayor Ke Wen Zhe, also present at the event, gave a speech, along with Chief of the Indonesian Trade and Economy Office (KDEI) Didi Sumedi, after the second congregation had offered the Eid-al-Fitr prayers.

"We are grateful to the Taipei city government for facilitating the Eid prayers," Sumedi emphasized.

Zhe pledged to always focus on Indonesian citizens in the city, most of whom are migrant workers employed in the formal and informal sectors.

"We consider Indonesian citizens here as being quite good, so they deserve our praise like this," he noted.

The Taipei administrator provided the place, while the KDEI offered funds to organize the event.

To hold the Eid-al-Fitr prayers at the Taipei Main Station, the Taipei administrator and KDEI collaborated with the executive boards of Nahdlatul Ulama's and Muhammadiyah's special branches in Taiwan, and other social organizations, Indonesian state-owned companies, and private companies in Taiwan. (ant)