IDNAround – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo appeared together again on Monday morning as they inspected a traditional market in the Central Java town of Karanganyar.
It’s their third appearance in recent days despite Jokowi’s very tight schedule which saw him in Bali to preside over the G20 Summit and in Thailand to participate in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
Ganjar, who is leading many polls for the 2024 presidential election, accompanied Jokowi at Colomadu Market to check prices of basic commodities ahead of the yearend holidays.
Jokowi said he was surprised that prices of several commodities such as edible oil and soybean increased quite significantly.
“We just checked commodity prices at markets because we are approaching the yearend. Now we are here in Central Java. We get facts on the ground and we will find the solution,” Jokowi said.
The government has been battling stubborn inflation since it raised subsidized fuel products two months ago.
Ganjar said commodity prices are relatively stable across the province despite a hike in certain products.
The central and provincial governments will continue checking commodity prices at public markets to get first-hand knowledge of the real conditions, he added.
“Mr. President came here to prevent price hikes, especially in food products because we need to tame the inflation,” Ganjar said.
The president and the governor, both politicians from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), were seen together last week in Solo when Jokowi inaugurated a mosque funded by the United Arab Emirates government before he left for the G20 Summit in Bali.
On Saturday, Ganjar accompanied Jokowi who just returned from the APEC forum to open the national conference of Indonesia’s second-largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah also in Solo.
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