According To Jokowi's Wish, Bali Prepares A Beachside G20 Summit Venue With A Casual Dresscode

Governor of Bali Wayan Koster/PHOTO of the Bali Provincial Government

JAKARTA - Bali Governor I Wayan Koster said the Bali Provincial Government has prepared an outdoor beachfront area for the G20 Summit (KTT).

Koster said that this venue was created to present a different atmosphere at the G20 meeting. However, the PDI-P politician did not reveal in detail the location in question.

"There will be an atmosphere at the beginning of the meeting, not indoors, but outdoors, outside, on the beach," said Koster in a written statement, Monday, January 24.

Later, G20 participants will also be allowed to wear casual clothes or dress code at the venue. They do not need to wear formal clothes like other state gatherings.

"So, the clothes are casual, different. To show a different atmosphere," he explained.

According to Koster, the preparation of this beachfront area was decided in accordance with the wishes of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) so that Indonesia as the organizer of the G20 will provide a new atmosphere. Koster accepts this wish every time Jokowi visits Bali.

"Mr. President has been trusted as the G20 presidency. He also wants to prepare the G20 as well as possible. It gives a different taste, Mr. Jokowi doesn't want to be just like that," he said.

Koster revealed that the G20 will have 150 meetings, until the peak of the event in November 2022. Regarding the material for the meeting, Koster admitted that he did not know. This, he said, is the full authority of the central government.

"As for the material, it's already the domain of the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Governor of Bank Indonesia. The others are supportive, like I support this," he said.

In addition, Koster emphasized that the island of Bali remains the main location for holding a series of meetings for the Chair of the G20 Indonesia in 2022.

Meanwhile, the activities that were decided to be moved from Bali to Jakarta were only two meetings, namely the 2nd FCBD (Finance and Central Bank Deputy) and the 1st FMCBG (Finance Minister Central Bank Governor) which were scheduled on February 15 -18, 2022.

This, he continued, is in line with the preference of the G20 delegates who prefer Jakarta due to the consideration of the high Jakarta-Bali transit risk, along with the increasing exposure to Omicron.

"This transfer from Bali to Jakarta is only an exchange of time with the planned implementation of the 2nd FMCBG in July 2022, which was originally planned in Jakarta, will be transferred to Bali," he said.

The G20 meeting is a series of meetings on the finance and sherpa lines, of which a total of 345 meetings will be held at the engagement group, working group, deputy, and central bank ministers/governors level, with the culmination of which will be attended by heads of state in Bali.