The First Lady of Indonesia, Iriana, reportedly slipped as she disembarked from her plane alongside her husband, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport this morning. An official at the Presidential Palace says Her Excellency is doing fine despite the fall.
The slip was caught on camera during a live stream of the president and first lady’s arrival in Bali. President Jokowi was seen holding Iriana’s hand as they walked down the mobile stairway after the presidential plane touched down at around 11.35am.
Midway down the stairs, Iriana slipped into a sitting position on the steps. An officer with the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) immediately offered to assist Iriana, but Jokowi firmly held his hand up, telling the man to give her space.
Iriana stood up moments later and, together with Jokowi, they were greeted by Bali Governor Wayan Koster and his wife, Ni Luh Putu Putri Suastini.
“The First Lady is in good condition. In the afternoon, she will hold a series of G20 events,” said Bey Machmudin, a deputy of the Presidential’s Secretary Office overseeing protocols and media.
Before Bali, Iriana and Jokowi had just visited Cambodia for the ASEAN Summit and then the city of Solo, Central Java in quick succession.
The couple’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is the mayor of Solo (a position Jokowi himself held once), said that Iriana was likely exhausted from traveling but stressed that there is nothing to fuss about.
“Because last night [they] traveled from Cambodia to Bali and arrived [in Bali] around 1 or 2am. It is okay. Just relax,” he said, noting that all top officials must be tired from all the traveling.
“What’s important is for the event to go smoothly.”
We surely hope this incident does not serve as a bad omen for the G20 Summit itself. The gathering of world leaders will take place in Nusa Dua tomorrow and Wednesday.
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