Air Pollution In Jakarta Makes Megawati Cough

PDIP Chairman Megawati Soekarnoputri with Presidential Candidate Ganjar Pranowo in Yogjakarta (PDIP Doc)

Chairman of the PDI-P (PDIP) Megawati Soekarnoputri said that air pollution in Jakarta made her cough. He conveyed this during a speech at the inauguration of the Bung Karno statue in Omah Petroek, Wonorejo Hamlet, Pakem, Yogyakarta, Wednesday, August 23.

Initially, Megawati talked about the clean and different air conditions in Wonorejo.

"That's why, fresh, yes, this (referred to the Wonorejo area, ed). Try in Jakarta, that's why I like coughing, dust allergies, pollution allergies, that's it, oh my," Megawati said in her speech.

Megawati then revealed a moment when talking with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to discuss the air in the capital city of the archipelago (IKN). He then did not want air conditions in IKN such as Jakarta which have recently been polluting.

"Until I said to Pak Jokowi, 'Pak Jokowi, IKN is fresh opo or not?'," Megawati asked Jokowi at that time.

Megawati also did not want the air conditions in IKN to be hot and emphasized the need for massive reforestation at that location.

"Mother said, 'It's hot, you have to plant a lot of trees'," Megawati told Jokowi in response to IKN's air conditions.

Megawati admitted that she had reminded Jokowi about the difficulty of reforestationing IKN with peat contours, making it difficult to plant trees there.

"Praying the water is acidic, not wet, so it is difficult to plant trees," he said.