28-1-2024 (JAKARTA) Indonesian President Joko Widodo has offered clarification regarding his recent comments on his right to campaign for election candidates, following criticism from netizens and representatives of presidential candidates who accused him of attempting to hold on to power.
On January 26, Mr. Widodo stated that he was responding to journalists’ inquiries about Cabinet ministers participating in political campaigns when he made the comments two days prior. He had stated that holding a public office does not restrict him from campaigning for any election contenders.
In a recorded statement uploaded to the YouTube page of the presidential secretariat, President Widodo emphasized that his comments should not be taken out of context. He held up a large piece of paper during the video, indicating the provisions in Indonesian law that allow the president and vice-president to participate in election campaigns.
According to prevailing laws in Indonesia, incumbent presidents, vice-presidents, and other state officials are permitted to engage in campaign activities. However, they are prohibited from using state facilities and are required to take leave when participating in such activities. The same law also forbids state officials, including village heads, from making decisions or taking actions that benefit or harm any election candidates during the campaign period.
On January 24, President Widodo, also known as Jokowi, made headlines when he stated that a sitting president is free to support any presidential candidate, as long as they do not utilize state facilities. He asserted that presidents and ministers have the same democratic right as every citizen to endorse their preferred candidates. These remarks were made alongside Defence Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto during a handover ceremony at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in East Jakarta.
Prabowo, who was previously Mr. Widodo’s rival in past elections, is now running as the candidate alongside Mr. Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the President’s son and the mayor of Solo. The other presidential candidates include former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, who is running with Mr. Muhaimin Iskandar, and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, who is running with Chief Security Minister Mahfud MD.
With over 200 million eligible voters expected to cast their ballots on February 14, reactions to President Widodo’s earlier statements from Prabowo’s competitors have been largely negative. Campaigner Ari Yusuf Amir from the Anies-Muhaimin campaign team expressed intentions to report Mr. Widodo to the Indonesian Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), citing concerns about political instability in the country. However, Anies clarified the following day that he instructed his team not to file such a report. Ganjar’s team has called on Mr. Widodo to uphold ethical principles and act as a statesman. Campaigner Chico Hakim stated that the active campaigning of the President for his son’s ticket “will certainly prompt stronger public perception about nepotism.”
Netizens have also voiced their concerns. On the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), users have been utilizing the hashtag #GerakanUnfollJokowi (#movetounfollowjokowi) to criticize his comments. Users such as @Dennysiregar7 have tweeted at Mr. Widodo, stating their intentions to unfollow him. As of January 27, @Dennysiregar7’s tweet has garnered over 9,000 likes and has been shared almost 2,000 times. Other users, including @yusuf_dumdum and @PreciosaKanti, have posted similar comments along with photos or videos of them unfollowing Mr. Widodo’s X account.
“Sincerely apologizing, Mr. @jokowi, I will be unfollowing. Stay healthy always,” stated @yusuf_dumdum.
