From Sorong to Jakarta to See the Inauguration of the Regional Head

The group of supporters and sympathizers of the regional head and deputy head inaugurated by President Prabowo Subianto enlivened the inauguration procession in Jakarta, Thursday (20/2/2025). They were willing to spend their own money for the journey from their regions to Jakarta, just to witness the historic moment of the inauguration.

Silvi's (48) face lit up as she successfully took a photo of the Governor of Southwest Papua, Elisa Kambu, at the Monas cross gate in Jakarta. Elisa was among the 961 regional heads and deputy heads who were marching from the Monas cross field to the Presidential Palace Complex to be inaugurated by President Prabowo Subianto that morning.

Although the governor only briefly waved and smiled, Silvi, who flew directly from Sorong City, Southwest Papua, was extremely proud. Wearing a feathered headpiece and sunglasses, she stood out among the line of supporters present.

"I am proud to be part of this historic moment. This is the first time all regional heads are inaugurated by the President. We, who come from the youngest province in Indonesia (Southwest Papua was formed at the end of 2022), are proud and want to come directly," said Silvi, who claimed to be part of the successful team of Elisa Kambu-Ahmad Nausrau in the 2024 Regional Head Election (Pilkada) of Southwest Papua.

For the record, this is the first time President Prabowo has inaugurated governors-deputy governors as well as regents-deputy regents and mayors-deputy mayors, and the inauguration was held in the nation's capital, Jakarta. Previously, only governors-deputy governors were inaugurated by the President in Jakarta. Meanwhile, regents-deputy regents and mayors-deputy mayors were inaugurated by the governor in the provincial capital.

Silvi is not alone. According to her, there are more than 100 other Papuan residents who came to Jakarta not only to witness the inauguration of the governor and deputy governor of Southwest Papua, but also other regional heads and their deputies in Papua. Some traveled by plane, but there were also those who used sea vessels. Despite the journey taking hours to days if traveling by ship, they remain enthusiastic about undertaking it.

"They used their own money, there were no donors. They were just happy to accompany the regional head during the inauguration and to join in the festivities," claimed Silvi.

In Jakarta, Silvi stayed for several days at a hotel. The momentum of attending the inauguration was also used to visit her son who works in Jakarta.

Apart from Silvi, Eka (41) also arrived at the Monas intersection field since 07.30 WIB. Although he lives in Jakarta, he came as a supporter and sympathizer of the Mayor of Pematangsiantar, North Sumatra, Wesly Silalahi. He came with his family to witness the inauguration procession of the regional head firsthand.

"I want to get to know the regional leaders who come from my hometown. Because yesterday (during the 2024 Pilkada), our family supported this elected mayor," said Eka.

Just like other supporters, Eka also admitted that he was proud to be able to witness the simultaneous inauguration procession at the Palace even though he could only see it from the Monas gate, and could only see when the regional leaders lined up towards the Palace complex. "We want to see, what's the excitement like," he said.

Supporters of the regional heads and deputy heads who were present that morning were prohibited from entering the Monas intersection where the regional heads and deputy heads gathered before going to the inauguration location at the Palace. They were also prohibited from entering the Palace and watching the inauguration procession directly.

Not only attending and witnessing the inauguration procession, those who attended also expressed their hopes for the regional heads and deputy heads. Eka, for example, hopes that Wesly Silalahi-Herlina will become trustworthy leaders. He also reminded that leaders must be willing to listen to input from the community.

"Leaders must also be able to distinguish between what is good and what is bad for the people. That is our only hope," he added.

Meanwhile, Silvi hopes that Elisa Kambu-Ahmad Nausrau can realize their campaign promises. "The highest hope of the people of Southwest Papua is to be able to live comfortably and safely. In addition, there is also an improvement in health and education services," explained Silvi.

Following the simultaneous inauguration and the regional head retreat held after the inauguration at Akmil, Magelang, according to Silvi, Elisa Kambu's supporters and sympathizers will also hold a people's party to celebrate Elisa-Ahmad's inauguration in Sorong. "There will definitely be a people's party, but it will be made by volunteers," he added.

Referring to a Kompas poll on February 10-13, 2025, 71.2 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the political process in the region, from the election to the inauguration. In addition, 74.5 percent of respondents said they knew the figure of the regional head who would start working in their region.

The relatively high public awareness can also be interpreted as the community's willingness to be active in the political process in their region. In other words, the community is not apathetic towards the figure of a leader who will have an impact on their daily lives in the region.

In addition to appreciation for the political process and high recognition, the positive side of welcoming the inauguration of regional heads can also be read from the level of public confidence in the capacity of the elected figure to lead their region well.

No less than 75.8 percent of respondents expressed their confidence that the regional head to be inaugurated has the capacity to lead the region competently. In fact, of that number, there were 10.8 percent of respondents who stated they were very confident.

Still from the poll, it was also captured that around 68.9 percent of respondents claimed to be confident that the people's aspirations would be heard by the new regional leaders. The relatively low level of confidence in the absorption of public opinion is a reminder for regional heads to be more open and involve the people in policy making.

With an even lower level of confidence, only about 55.9 percent of respondents stated that they were confident that the new regional head would fulfill campaign promises. That means that almost half of the respondents doubt that campaign promises will be realized.

This is a strong alarm for local governments to really implement the programs campaigned during the regional elections. In addition, it can also be read that the public is currently still skeptical that the campaign promises will be fulfilled by the government. In fact, campaign promises are one of the strong indicators of voters making their choice.

The relatively low level of public confidence in the two points above should be answered with concrete steps by regional heads. The economic side and clean government are the emphasis of public expectations.

There are 34.1 percent of respondents who hope that the new regional government can improve the economy and expand employment opportunities in the region. Furthermore, there are 25.9 percent of respondents who hope that the new regional government will guarantee a transparent and clean government, aka free from corruption. No less important, there are 16.2 percent of respondents who hope that there will be an increase in the quality of education.

In addition, it was also recorded that around 32.6 percent of respondents considered the success of regional heads in carrying out their duties to lie in the involvement of community participation in regional programs.

Next, 22.4 percent of respondents stated that the ability to maintain clean governance will determine the success of local government. In addition, leadership and a clear vision are considered to be determining factors by 15.8 percent of respondents.

After the inauguration procession by President Prabowo in the central courtyard of the Presidential Palace was over, the regional leaders returned to the Monas intersection using Transjakarta electric buses. They were greeted enthusiastically by their supporters who were willing to come from various regions. Now, after officially taking office as regional heads and deputy heads, a pile of public hopes are waiting to be realized soon. Good luck!