On March 21, 2023, Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto paid a combined visit to Youtefa Market in the Abepura District of Jayapura City, Papua.
Traders Greet the President’s Visit with Enthusiasm
Youtefa Market traders welcomed the arrival of the two figures enthusiastically. The traders had been waiting for the visit since early morning.
Some traders continue to sell as usual. They sell garden products such as tubers, vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, etc. President Jokowi’s visit to Youtefa Market was to distribute groceries to traders in this market.
During this visit, The Minister of Defense, wearing a black shirt and hat matching President Jokowi, seemed to greet and shake hands with the traders one by one. Likewise, President Joko Widodo, the two of them, seemed to be in sync hand in hand, greeting the traders.
In his written statement, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said that he greeted the Youtefa Market traders, who were happy to welcome the President’s visit. One can sense the traders’ and purchasers’ friendliness and excitement in that market.
Mama Papua’s Message to Prabowo Subianto
President Joko Widodo was also seen chatting with several traders who were there. While touring, President Jokowi also checked the prices of several basic necessities.
Ratna, a spice seller, acknowledges that the President asked him about the cost of onions, cooking oil, and other spices.
Apart from that, President Jokowi also provided cash assistance and groceries to traders and the community who were also there.
During the visit, The Defense Minister, Prabowo Subianto, was also seen buying a typical Papuan noken bag from a Papuan mother. On this occasion, the Papuan mother, or Mama Papua, immediately gave a message to Prabowo.
- The message to him is to pay attention to the little people if he becomes President. Prabowo Subianto also seemed to pay attention to the advice, smiled, and nodded in agreement.
- Mama Papua asked the government to pay attention to the improvement of the Youtefa Market. So, not only does it look clean during a presidential visit, but it can be repaired so that Youtefa Market can look good in the future.
- The Mamas, who witnessed President Jokowi’s arrival, said President Jokowi’s presence at the market should be able to see the condition of traders directly at the market.
In fact, Jokowi’s visits to Papua impacted the wheels of the regional economy. A lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business at Cenderawasih University, Kurniawan Patma, said President Jokowi’s presence in Papua had quite an impact on the development of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Papua.
A Glance about Youtefa Market
As additional information, Youtefa Market is one of the largest traditional markets in Jayapura City, with an area of around 12 hectares. Trading activities in the Youtefa Market consist of two activities, namely.
1. Koya Market (05:00 – 07:30 WIT )
Koya Market provides all agricultural products from the Koya area. The goods sold in this market are generally agricultural products such as vegetables, fruits, herbs, and other agricultural products. When compared to the costs of comparable commodities outside the Koya market, the prices of goods offered there are generally lower.
2. Regular Market/Ordinary Market (07:30 – 18:30 WIT)
An ordinary market is a place to buy and sell activities as usual at normal prices. Goods sold are not only from agricultural products but also from aquatic products (fish, shrimp, squid, etc.), groceries, and clothing.
Actually, the president’s visit to Youtefa Market is in a series of presidential working visits, apart from inaugurating PYCH on 21 March 2023. Hopefully, with the President’s visits to various regions in Papua, the pace of growth of MSME businesses in Papua will be more vibrant and stronger.
