President Jokowi Widodo set a new chapter in Indonesian history and diversity by commemorating country's 74th Independence day in Balinese traditional clothing on Saturday. President was seen in the unique dominant black dress from Klungkung Bali with a headdress wrap and batik sarong making his way to a flag raising ceremony in the front lawn of Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta.
His Son Gibran Rakabuming was also wearing a white Balinese attire and grandson wearing a yellow Balinese dress. The trio dress made a beautiful contrast of diversity at the event.
The President stated that there wasn't any special reason for wearing the cultural attire of Indonesia's top destination except that he just wanted to wear traditional dresses for different flag raising ceremonies.
He said that ""We have held [the ceremony] for five years, and each time [I have worn] different attire from Aceh, West Sumatra, South Kalimantan, Sunda, Java, Betawi, and then Bali, Sasak, Bugis, [I have worn] all these," he said before the ceremony, as quoted by Kompas
Jokowi earlier announced traditional dress as a dress code for the annual Independence day flag raising ceremony at the presidential palace. He expressed his beliefs that it is outmost important to preserve cultural diversity as a part of national identity.
In 2017, he wore a South Kalimantan dress for ceremony officiating and Acehnese attire in 2018 was seen on him.
The flag ceremony held on Saturday was the last flag raising ceremony for Jokowi's first presidential term after taking office in 2014. It will be inaugurated in October for the second and following his reelection in April.
We have a rich culture of thousands of [kinds of] traditional attire. Later, we will also wear the traditional dress of Maluku and Papua," he said, stressing that he would don the traditional attire of all cultures from across the archipelago.