PM Modi wishes Prez Joko Widodo on winning election in Indonesia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday wished President of Indonesia Joko Widodo on the commencement of his second Presidential term. PM Modi took to microblogging site Twitter to congratulate Widodo. The Prime Minister also called Widodo as a dynamic leader and expressed confidence that the friendship and strategic partnership between the two countries will deepen further. Joko Widodo sworn in on Sunday for his second and final five-year term.

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The President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, was sworn in for a second term on Sunday with little public fanfare as security forces were on high alert and protests were prohibited in a sign of mounting public frustration with his government. According to reports, in his inaugural speech to Parliament, Widodo, a former furniture manufacturer and Jakarta Governor, presented a pro-business program of bolstering industry, building infrastructure, and reducing regulations and bureaucracy.

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About Joko Widodo

Jokowi, a popular, heavy metal-loving former businessman from outside the political and military elite, was hailed as Indonesia's answer to Barack Obama when he was first elected in 2014, partly on a roads-to-airports infrastructure drive. However, his leadership has been under mounting criticism after a wave of crises that threaten to cast a shadow over his final term.

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Challenges facing the president range from nationwide anti-government demonstrations — in which three students died — and smog-belching forest fires that sparked diplomatic tensions with Indonesia's neighbours, to deadly unrest in Papua province and a slowdown in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. It marked a stark reversal of fortune just months after Jokowi scored a thumping re-election victory against a former military general.

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(With input from agencies)