Jokowi faces tough task of managing voters' expectations

[JAKARTA] Incoming Indonesian president Joko Widodo is trying to manage the expectations of his supporters and investors as an opposition-dominated Parliament likely to obstruct his ambitious reform programme convened on Wednesday.

Mr Joko, popularly known as Jokowi, the popular former governor of Jakarta, narrowly won an election in July, becoming the first businessman to become president of South-east Asia's biggest economy, which had previously always been led by members of political elites.

Jokowi's simple, direct approach and success in cutting red tape appealed to ordinary voters and investors who welcomed his victory by pushing the stock market up to a record high.