For Subscribers

Indonesia votes: Ending poverty in East Java is Khofifah Indar Parawansa’s goal as governor

East Java is shaping up as a stronghold for President Joko Widodo in his bid for re-election at the April 17 polls in Indonesia. Helming the province are his former social affairs minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa and Golkar party rising star Emil Dardak. The newly sworn-in governor and her deputy speak to The Straits Times about what constituents can expect from their first term in office.

Ms Khofifah Indar Parawansa, who was born and bred in East Java's capital Surabaya, knows well what the people of the province needs, and she plans to tackle the problems - ranging from unemployment to the rising cost of living - over her five-year term as governor.

Linda Yulisman Indonesia Correspondent In Surabaya (East Java)

Updated

Published

Mar 09, 2019, 05:00 AM

Ms Khofifah Indar Parawansa, 53, has the honour of being the first woman to be elected East Java governor, following last year's regional polls in which she and her running mate Emil Dardak garnered 53.5 per cent of the votes.

At their swearing-in ceremony last month, Indonesian President Joko Widodo set the task for the duo in simple terms - "as fast as possible, step on the gas to serve the people".

Already a subscriber? Log in

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

ST One Digital

$9.90 $9.90/month

No contract

ST app access on 1 mobile device

Subscribe now

Unlock these benefits

All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.