Hendrar Prihadi's New Role Opens Path to Jakarta Governorship

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo inaugurated the Semarang Mayor Hendrar Prihadi as the head of the National Public Procurement Agency (LKPP) at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Monday. Jokowi reasoned that Hendrar's excellent track record makes him the right person to lead the LKPP. He tasked Hendrar, or Hendi, to improve the digitization of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through the agency's e-catalog.

"I have known Pak Hendi for a long time as a two-term Semarang mayor. I follow his track record and his ability and capacity in managing an organization," Jokowi said. He also hopes that Hendi can continue to improve the government's procurement worth hundreds of trillions of rupiah. "If [the procurement] includes those of regions, [the worth] could be thousands of trillions. The most important thing is that the system keeps improving," he continued.