Jakarta governor Joko Widodo is not only framing a possible candidacy for presidency of Indonesia based on actually being for the people, but he lives the life all around. The self-proclaimed heavy metal fan attends Metallica concerts and listens to Napalm Death, according to Inquirer.net. He was given a bass guitar by Robert Trujillo of Metallica which he then turned over to Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency in May, the news outlet reports.
“I listen to loud metal songs, from Metallica to Led Zeppelin, to Napalm Death… because rock is my passion,” he told the Agence France Presse ahead of a Metallica concert, according to Inquirer.
The governor of Indonesia’s capital, described as down-to-earth, also takes motorbikes over motorcades and comes from a humble upbringing, which contrasts Indonesia’s typical political regime. While Widodo has not officially announced a candidacy for president, he is predicted to run in the 2014 election. The two men expected to face him have been part of Indonesia’s political climate for some time. Prabowo Subianto is the former head of Indonesia’s special forces who was accused of rights abuses in East Timor and Aburizal Bakrie is a controversial business figure, according to news reports.
But according to Inquirer, recent polls show Widodo favored with 32.5 percent selecting him and other surveys putting him at 10 percent higher approval over both challengers. We wish this emerging change agent good luck. He will need it. If he lands the gig, he would be in charge of 17,000 islands with a population of more than 240 million in a land that has been faced with political corruption and dictatorship fueled mayhem. But if he listens to metal, he may be the exact person to handle the job.
