‘Disappointed’: Indonesians reflect on legacy of departing Joko Widodo

It was a gesture he appreciated.

“Jokowi told me, ‘Don’t worry, the government is here to facilitate this’. They wanted to find a winwin solution and they achieved it,” Saryanto said.

He moved to Notoharjo in 2007 and said that his profits increased significantly as a result. Other market traders agree, including Ferry Setiawan who sells spare parts for cars and motorbikes.

“As a mayor, he [Jokowi] succeeded and there was no conflict between the different parties at the time of the move. We have been very successful and our profits have increased three-fold,” he told Al Jazeera.

To sweeten the deal, Jokowi gave each trader $322 to tide them over during the move and allow them to start afresh at the new location.

“I would say 95 percent of traders were successful after the move,” Setiawan said. “I was happy because he was helping people who needed his help. Jokowi was always there for the people when he was in Solo.”

Once the market traders were moved from the national monument, it was made into a park with a children’s play area and became one of Solo’s most popular recreation spots.

Family friend Slamet Raharjo said that Jokowi’s ambitions to improve Solo’s green spaces were inspired by his visits to other countries.

“He wanted to do his best for Solo and improve the economy. He often went abroad and he saw how people in other countries liked to walk, so he built pavements and parks so that people here could do the same. He also improved public transport so that Solo could evolve,” he said.

Raharjo first met Jokowi when they were both in the furniture business and said that Jokowi seemed like a new start for Solo, coming to politics as a rare candidate who was not from the political or religious elite.

“Solo is a unique city and, at that time, we needed a fresh figure who didn’t have a negative track record,” Raharjo said.

“He worked so hard for us.”

Unpleasant issues

But even though residents continued to support Jokowi, their scepticism grew the further he advanced in politics.

As he prepares to leave the presidency, there is now disappointment.

“I was such a strong supporter when he became president and I was proud because he was from Solo,” market trader Ferry Setiawan said.

“But in the end, he has not yet become a good leader.”

Setiawan said that one of the most striking issues with Jokowi’s presidency was last year’s controversial Constitutional Court decision over the minimum age for presidential and vice presidential candidates.

The court, helmed by Jokowi’s brother-in-law Anwar Usman, allowed those who had served previously as an elected official to run for high office even if they were under the official minimum age of 40 years old. The decision enabled Jokowi’s son, 36-year-old Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to run as presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto’s running mate.

“I was disappointed,” Setiawan said. “There was no democracy in the Constitutional Court decision. I was embarrassed by the obvious nepotism but, as it was his second term in office, maybe Jokowi felt he needed to find a way to hang onto power.”

“Maybe everyone would do the same thing and try to look after their children.”