Brave With Bangka Belitung Traditional Dress, Jokowi Shows Symbol Of Cultural Acculturation

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) arrived at the DPR RI Building to attend the MPR RI Annual Session, Joint Session of DPR RI - DPD RI, DPR RI Plenary Meeting, on Tuesday, August 16. Jokowi arrived at around 08.58 WIB wearing green Bangka Belitung traditional clothes. Jokowi also wore a brown mask, while his wife Iriana Jokowi wore a pink dominant kebaya.

To note, invited guests will be present 100 percent physically. Special guests who will attend include former Presidents, Vice Presidents as well as general chairmen of political parties, ambassadors, and 103 representatives of foreign countries.

Secretary General of the DPR RI Indra Iskandar Indra explained, at the 2022 Annual Session, apart from continuing to implement strict health protocols, his party will also cooperate with the Presidential Security Forces (Paspampres) by implementing special procedures to maintain security and smoothness during this session.

Bangka Belitung traditional clothes are typical traditional clothes used by the people of Bangka Belitung with a blend of 2 cultures, namely Arabic and Chinese.

An Arab merchant at first traded in the Bangka Belitung area. Bangka Belitung in ancient times was known as a place for very strategic trade transactions.

Bangka Belitung traditional clothing is still combined with patterns or motifs from local culture, namely in the form of Bangka Belitung culture even though it uses Arab and Chinese acculturation.

The habit of wearing traditional clothes when attending the MPR annual session has become Jokowi's habit every year. In 2017 Jokowi wore Bugis traditional clothing in the form of a traditional suit complete with a gold color skullcap or called the Ta Bone songkok. Then in 2019 the head of state wore traditional Sasak clothing from West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

Then in 2020 the president wore the traditional clothes of Sabu Raijua from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). In 2021, Jokowi will attend the 2021 Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) annual session wearing the urang Kanakes traditional clothing from the Bedouin tribe.