Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Gibran Rakabuming Raka officially took part in the 2024 presidential election after being declared and registering on Wednesday (25/10). Gibran’s participation in this national level democratic party attracted public attention. The reason is, he is the eldest son of President Joko Widodo.
Many people accuse his participation of taking place thanks to the blessing and encouragement of his father, who is also the number one person in Indonesia, although this accusation has been denied.
Apart from that, it is interesting to trace Gibran’s life. As the first child of Jokowi and Iriana, Gibran has had more experience living with his parents than his two younger siblings, Kahiyang and Kaesang. You could say, Gibran is an eyewitness to the ups and downs of his parents’ lives which also have an impact on his personal life.
Gibran is an eyewitness to Jokowi’s business going bankrupt
A year after Gibran was born, Jokowi founded a furniture business in 1988. The business was CV Rakabu, which was taken from the name of his first child, Rakabuming. The business was successful at first.
The woodworking workshop in a private house meant that Gibran and his mother Iriana always heard the noise of saws. Several times they also inhaled dust from wood chips. However, leaving it alone indicated that his father’s business was selling and the money could be used for household needs.
However, Jokowi’s business prosperity was short-lived. The reason is, two years later, Jokowi’s business went bankrupt due to being deceived by people. Alberthiene Endah in Jokowi: Leading the City, Touching Jakarta (2012) said that this bankruptcy started with Jokowi’s mistakes when doing business.
At that time, Jokowi received a super large order from Jakarta and immediately carried out it without asking for a down payment. After the goods were finished, Jokowi found out that it was a fake order. He, who had spent a lot of money, ended up paying money and closing CV Rakabu’s operations.
In this condition, 3 year old Gibran became Jokowi’s eyewitness in difficult times. According to the explanation of Gibran’s grandmother, Sudjiatmi Dalam I am Sujiatmi, Jokowi’s mother (2014), because of this incident, Jokowi’s life was upended. There is no enthusiasm for building a business. He was so confused that he was willing to work odd jobs for months. This was all done to provide for his children and wife.
“Jokowi often comes home with a gloomy face as if he has lost his light. Always clack-climp (not enthusiastic),” said Sudjiatmi.
Luckily, the dark times for Jokowi and his family did not last long. Thanks to capital assistance from Sudjiatmi, Jokowi started his business again. And Gibran was again a witness to his father’s resurrection.
Gibran felt Jokowi’s golden era
After receiving capital, his business then ran smoothly and Jokowi began to follow the path of success. Noted, dIn the period 1994-1996, Jokowi’s furniture production accelerated. In total he has 8 factories with hundreds of employees. Practically, his wealth also increased. He was able to buy his own house in Solo, after renting for years.
In fact, Jokowi had also bought a car which was an expensive item at that time. In the future, this car will be useful for taking his children to school. At that time, Gibran already had two younger siblings, namely Kahiyang (1991) and Kaesang (1994).
When Jokowi started to become successful and rich, Gibran truly felt the golden phases of his father. In fact, in 1998-1999 or Indonesia’s crisis period, Jokowi sent Gibran to a junior high school in Singapore. Schools and living costs in Singapore are certainly different from Indonesia, of course only people with money can go there.
Since then, Gibran has lived there alone, before finally being accompanied by Kaesang, who was also sent to school in Singapore. In Singapore, Gibran not only attended junior high school, but also high school and college. It is noted that Gibran is an alumnus of Orchid Park Secondary School and the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS).
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