INDONESIA’S President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) made international headlines recently when he flew economy-class from Jakarta to Singapore with his wife to attend the graduation ceremony of their son. Jokowi’s aide pointed out during the trip that the “president was travelling as a father, and not in his official capacity as president”, and thus did not avail himself the use of the presidential aircraft normally used for official visits.

His quick and quiet trip, however, was reported across Asia and the West, and it was noted by many media commentators that this marked an impressive and visible shift from the style of leadership of previous Indonesian presidents, whose visits and official events were often characterised by a show of pomp and grandeur.

It is, however, important to note that Jokowi’s plain and simple style does have long historical precedents in Southeast Asia, and that he is not the only leader who has opted to go down the path of simplicity and modesty, although he may well be the most manifest in recent years.

…Farish A. Noor is an Associate Professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.