Government Tries Hard to Call for Rain, Jokowi says

President Joko Widodo delivered a speech after donating a sacrificial cow at Al Karomah Mosque, Martapura, South Kalimantan, on Thursday (24/9).

On the second day of his working visit to South Kalimantan which was on the day of Eid Al-Adha 1436 H/2015 M (Islamic day of sacrifice), President Joko Widodo accompanied by the First Lady Hj. Iriana Joko Widodo performed Eid Al-Adha prayers at Al-Karomah Great Mosque, on Jln. Ahmad Yani, Martapura sub-District, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan, on Thursday (24/9) morning.

The President and the First Lady performed Eid Al-Adha prayers together with about 20,000 worshipers led by K.H. Wildan Salmon, Head of Taffizul Qur’an of Al Karomah Great Mosque and listened to khutbah Idul Adha under the theme “Sacrifice and Pilgrimage” by K.H. Khalilrurrahman.

After performing Shalat Ied, the President and the First Lady headed to the place for donating the Sacrificial Animal in the front yard of the mosque on foot. The President gave a sacrificial cow to the Committee.

 Tackle the Smoke Issue

When requested to deliver a speech at the event, President Joko Widodo said that his main purpose to visit Kalimantan was to tackle the smoke issue disrupting the society.

“I instructed all the people not to burn anything in the plantation, yard, or on the road which caused smoke around us. This is a hope of ours,” President Joko Widodo said.

The President explained that the Government has worked hard to solve the smoke issue by water bombing, dropping water using helicopters, and sowing salt in the sky using airplane to call for rain.

“Yesterday, we sowed hundred tons of salt in Riau and Jambi and Alhamdulilah the rain poured down; yet, we are still looking for the cloud here,” President Widodo noted.

On that occasion, the President invited the people to pray together for those who has performed and is performing wukuf in Arafah Field so that they are all healthy and Allah always gives them devoutness and they can return to Indonesia in a good condition and become a haj “mabrur”.

Furthermore, President Widodo and First Lady Iriana along with the entourage headed to Central Kalimantan province by land. Accompanying the President and the First Lady on that occasion were Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya, Minister of Education and Culture Anis Baswedan, Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) Commander Gatot Mardiantono and the National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti. (SLN/UN/ES) (JS/LW/YM/Naster)