The wRap Indonesia: Oct. 16, 2014

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The grand plans for President-elect Joko Widodo’s inauguration and the increasing likelihood that there won’t be any fuel price increases this year top our wrap of stories from Indonesia the past day.

1. A parade, rock concert, and thousands of lanterns on Jokowi’s inauguration 

Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s inauguration as Indonesia’s 7th president on Monday, October 20, will be a party unlike any the country has seen before. A grand parade through the main thoroughfare in Jakarta’s central business district will kick off the festivities after the official inauguration ceremony in the morning, according to details released by officials on Wednesday, October 15. Businesses will join the celebration by providing free noodles and bakso (meatballs) throughout the parade route. Supporters will then gather at the National Monument (Monas) for a party that will last to the evening, headlined by top rock band Slank. The newly inaugurated president and vice president will join the party later in the day, which will end with the release of 7,000 lanterns into the evening sky. Follow Rappler’s Live Blog of the inauguration on Monday for real time updates on the big day.      

2.  Subsidized fuel price hike unlikely this year 

 “[The fuel price hike] can be done next year,” Jokowi told Tempo magazine in an exclusive interview. This statement from Jokowi indicates he is less likely to push for a price increase within the first 2 months of his presidency this year, which economists say is needed to solve Indonesia’s budget deficit problem. Instead, Jokowi said they would first try to boost tax revenue to address the budget problem. Dolfi O.F. Palit, who worked on the transition team’s budget group, also said the government needed to have an economic empowerment program in place first before raising fuel prices.  

3. Local mosques refuse funeral prayers for transgender murder victim

The body of Mayang Prasetyo, the transgender Indonesian who was allegedly murdered and mutilated by her husband in Brisbane, is expected to arrive in her hometown of Bandar Lampung, in Lampung province, within the next few days. But her mother, Nining Sukarni, told media on Wednesday that local mosques refused to perform the prayer for the deceased for her eldest child. “I don’t know why,” she said during a press conference, according to Kompas.com. 

4. Thousands pack IKEA Indonesia on opening day

Finally @IKEA open its new and very first store at Indonesia, today! pic.twitter.com/8RATmmtXtt

— Yofie Setiawan 王晶友 (@yofiesetiawan) October 15, 2014

After a number of delays, Swedish furniture giant IKEA’s much-awaited flagship store in Indonesia finally opened on Wednesday. Tweets showed people queueing before the doors officially opened, and later of the iconic meatballs the store is known for. Ikea Indonesia marketing director Benedicte Hansen told Jakarta Globe 8,000 customers had visited as of 6pm, and they were expecting 10,000 by closing time at 10pm. The 35,000-square-meter store at Alam Sutera, Tangerang, just outside Jakarta, offers 7,000 home furnishing products, of which 550 will be manufactured in Indonesia and distributed across the globe, according to the Jakarta Post. 

5. Celebrity ‘wedding of the year’ kicks off Thursday

The much talked about wedding between television star Raffi Ahmad and actress Nagita Slavina kicks off Thursday, October 16, with the traditional washing ceremony that precedes the actual wedding day in Javanese tradition. The lavish wedding ceremony itself will take place Friday at the ballroom of the Ritz Carlton in the Sudirman Central Business District, with celebrities and politicians in attendance. This will be followed by a reception on Sunday evening for 3,000 guests. Those not invited are advised to avoid the area on those days. But that’s not all: another grand reception party will be held in Bali on October 25. (READ: 8 alasan pernikahan Raffi-Nagita pantas jadi ‘Wedding of the Year’)